Calories used per minute

old codger

Hello,
is there an average figure for the amount of calories used whilst on a turbo / rollers or even on the road,i usually do between 60 and 90 mins on the road and up to an hour on the rollers (Kreitlers), not all out but i dont hang around either.I have been thinking about 10 calories a minute usage or am i way over estimating.

Thanks for looking.

chris_bass

impossible to say, too many factors are involved

cougie

According to my power meter 600 cals per hour is about average for a decent session for me but Who is to say it is for you? If anything under estimate your calories assuming you want to lose weight?

AK_jnr

Obviously nobody can say. For a rough guide 600-700 for the hour if you are working hard I imagine.

milemuncher1

old codger wrote:

Hello,
is there an average figure for the amount of calories used whilst on a turbo / rollers or even on the road,i usually do between 60 and 90 mins on the road and up to an hour on the rollers (Kreitlers), not all out but i dont hang around either.I have been thinking about 10 calories a minute usage or am i way over estimating.

Thanks for looking.

An average person, on the average terrain, at about a 13 mph average will burn about 20 calories per mile. Personally, I ride a lot of long distance rides, and my calorie burn rate is important. If I burn at too high a rate, I run the risk of running out of juice, then having to limp to a proper feed stop, then wait for the refuel to start to work before setting off again. There is a nutrition / fuelling usage curve, I've had to learn how to stay about 5 minutes ( minimum ) behind the
curve, to allow for things like unexpected headwinds, unexpected diversions onto unplanned climbs, etc etc etc. You soon learn how to do it, without having to think too hard, because if you get it wrong, it can be a right PITA.

old codger

Just a little background info that may help,when i do my road ride im averaging between 16 - 17mph ,ok not very fast you may think but this is on a mountain bike with huge 29" tyres with about 50 lbs pressure,i stopped racing over 20 yrs ago but still know how to punish myself for the allotted time,even on my rollers i still train as though im racing and this is where i have got my estimation from.

Cheers.

milemuncher1

old codger wrote:

Just a little background info that may help,when i do my road ride im averaging between 16 - 17mph ,ok not very fast you may think but this is on a mountain bike with huge 29" tyres with about 50 lbs pressure,i stopped racing over 20 yrs ago but still know how to punish myself for the allotted time,even on my rollers i still train as though im racing and this is where i have got my estimation from.

Cheers.

Draggy tyres and a heavy ( ish ) bike will easily add 30% to the burn. So based on what you say, I reckon you're probably burning about 400 calories per hour

fat daddy

Well in a 1hr Zwift igniter session @ 220w average power for a 76kg 15%bf male

Strava = 890kcal
Zwift = 640kcal
Wahoo = 720kcal
Tom Tom = 800kcal

So pick a number and +/- 200 ... don't forget it will change as well as you get more efficient or burn fat /

milemuncher1

fat daddy wrote:

Well in a 1hr Zwift igniter session @ 220w average power for a 76kg 15%bf male

Strava = 890kcal
Zwift = 640kcal
Wahoo = 720kcal
Tom Tom = 800kcal

So pick a number and +/- 200 ... don't forget it will change as well as you get more efficient or burn fat /

Body composition is crucial. Fat and muscle will compete for oxygen and energy. The less fat, the better. My power to weight ( again a crucial metric ) is about 5W/Kg, and over a 102 mile ride, with some nosebleed climbs, on Friday, I burned about 3500 Kcals, I had to keep my average speed below about 14mph, I've done this ride at a much higher average speed previously, and bonked so badly that I ended up in an ambulance / A&E, not pleasant.

Dave_P1

It depends on how much power you put out, the greater the power, the more calories you will burn.

Alex_Simmons/RST

Energy metabolised is primarily a function of the energy demand (power applied to the cranks x duration) divided by your gross mechanical efficiency.

So unless you know:
i. how much power you are applying to the cranks (which requires a decent power measurement instrument), and
ii. your GME (typically in the range of ~19-24% but requires gas exchange analysis in a laboratory to establish and is also acutely variable due to various factors)
then estimates of energy metabolised are likely to be no more than some light comic relief.

Alex99

Milemuncher1 wrote:

old codger wrote:

Just a little background info that may help,when i do my road ride im averaging between 16 - 17mph ,ok not very fast you may think but this is on a mountain bike with huge 29" tyres with about 50 lbs pressure,i stopped racing over 20 yrs ago but still know how to punish myself for the allotted time,even on my rollers i still train as though im racing and this is where i have got my estimation from.

Cheers.

Draggy tyres and a heavy ( ish ) bike will easily add 30% to the burn. So based on what you say, I reckon you're probably burning about 400 calories per hour

So, guestimated power may be in 200-280 W range. With best case and worst case efficiency (19-25%), that would make it anywhere between 11 and 21 k calories per minute. So I guess you've got to ask yourself, do you feel hungry? Well, do ya, punk?