just wondered how many calories i may (or may not)be burning during an average xc ride (not race)
missus keeps coming home from the gym harping on about all these calories the machine is telling her shes burnt.im sure i must be burning way more??
ps i dont want/ need to buy a calorie computer so thats not an answer!

Isn't it roughly 2000 calories an hour at 16 mph on flat road? More on an MTB off-road I'm sure. More if you weigh "above the average" I guess too.

Actually somewhat less than that –

http://www.nutristrategy.com/fitness/cycling.htm

That assumes that MTBing is less intense than road, I usually have a higher HR on the MTB than on the road.

In a 6hr MTB race on Sunday I burnt 6192 calories, so 1032/hr. In an easy hours spin on the road I burnt 717, so my rate's somewhere between those I guess! It depends on so many things though, and the gym computers are rubbish!

Isn't it roughly 2000 calories an hour at 16 mph on flat road? More on an MTB off-road I'm sure. More if you weigh "above the average" I guess too.

I can't believe that sorry – I assume about 800-900 calories under intense riding/hr and so light riding about 300-400 calories/hr and perhaps a normal ride at the weekend about 600 calories an hour for me and I am not race fit dude but moderately fit.

If you look at the link in the second post it does correct his original statement, as he said.

Ahh OK sorry – I'll read teh links next time 😉

there is a formula, i posted it last time this question was asked, but ive lost it now. For someone of average fitness 500-600 is an easy hour riding, 1000cal/hour is just about atainable, but you probably wont make it through the hour without having to slow down.

Might be worth going to the gym and using the rowing machines and cross trainers (the bikes are just uncomoftable). Gives a good indication of fitness, as the cross trainer is ismilar to cycling in terms of muscles used so the power outpus are comparable.