Speed and effort
Higher cycling speeds generally require more power and correspond to higher MET values.
Cycling Calorie Calculator
A 70 kg person burns about 250 calories in 30 minutes of light cycling at 16.1–19.1 km/h.
Your estimate changes with body weight, cycling speed, duration and terrain.
CALORIES BY SPEED & TIME
Calories burned cycling
Choose your body weight, then compare estimated calorie burn across common outdoor cycling speeds and durations.
| Cycling speed | 15 min | 30 min | 60 min |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leisure <16 km/h | 74 kcal | 147 kcal | 294 kcal |
| Light 16.1–19.1 km/h | 125 kcal | 250 kcal | 500 kcal |
| Moderate 19.3–22.4 km/h | 147 kcal | 294 kcal | 588 kcal |
| Vigorous 22.5–25.6 km/h | 184 kcal | 368 kcal | 735 kcal |
CYCLING CALCULATOR
Calculate your cycling calories
Enter your body weight and duration, then choose the cycling speed that best matches your session.
WHY THE NUMBER VARIES
What changes cycling calorie burn?
The same amount of cycling time can produce different calorie estimates depending on how the activity is performed.
Terrain
Climbing increases effort, while descending or riding with a tailwind can reduce it.
Wind and drafting
Headwinds increase resistance, while drafting behind another cyclist can reduce the power required at the same speed.
Bike and rider
Bike type, aerodynamics, body weight and cycling efficiency all influence actual energy expenditure.
One ride is easy to estimate. The whole day is harder.
Kibora helps you put food, calories and activity into context so you can understand how everything adds up across your day.
Calculation methodology and sources
These estimates use outdoor cycling MET values from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities and the standard MET calorie-expenditure equation.
Cycling speed and intensity
The 2024 Adult Compendium lists bicycling below 10 mph (16 km/h) at 4.0 METs, bicycling at 10–11.9 mph at 6.8 METs, 12–13.9 mph at 8.0 METs, and 14–15.9 mph at 10.0 METs.
These four ranges are used as the calculator intensity presets and reference-table rows.
Calorie calculation
Calories are estimated with the standard MET equation: MET × 3.5 × body weight in kilograms ÷ 200 × minutes.
Reference-table values are rounded to the nearest whole calorie. Calculator results can retain one decimal place.
Assumptions and limitations
Road speed is only a proxy for effort. Hill grade, wind, drafting, bike type and riding position can produce very different workloads at the same speed.
Standard MET values are population-level reference estimates, so actual calorie expenditure can differ from the result shown here.
Related calorie-burn activities
Common questions about cycling calories
How many calories does 30 minutes of cycling burn?
It depends on body weight and cycling speed. A 70 kg person burns about 147 calories in 30 minutes below 16 km/h, 250 calories at 16.1–19.1 km/h, 294 calories at 19.3–22.4 km/h, and 368 calories at 22.5–25.6 km/h.
How many calories does one hour of cycling burn?
For a 70 kg person, the examples on this page range from about 294 calories per hour at a leisure pace below 16 km/h to about 735 calories per hour at 22.5–25.6 km/h.
Does cycling faster burn more calories?
Generally, yes. Higher cycling speeds correspond to higher MET values in the Compendium and increase estimated calorie burn per minute.
Does cycling uphill burn more calories?
Usually, yes. Hills increase the required power and can raise energy expenditure substantially compared with level cycling at the same road speed.
Are bike computer calorie estimates accurate?
They are estimates. Power meters can provide more individualized workload data, while this page uses standardized MET values based on cycling speed and effort.