October 23, 2024, 7:39 pm | Read time: 7 minutes
Whether you work, go to university, or simply in your free time, cycling is a good alternative to the car, bus, and train, and it is fun. You can also improve your basic fitness on two wheels. But how fast should you cycle, how far should you cycle without stopping, and how long should you be able to cycle to be considered fit? FITBOOK author Tony Poland discussed these questions with sports scientist Prof. Dr. Billy Sperlich.
Cycling is generally regarded as an effective full-body workout that improves both endurance and strength. Pedaling is also a very efficient way to burn calories. Depending on the duration and intensity, several hundred calories can be burned per hour. This is a quick way to shed those extra pounds. And it doesn’t matter whether you’re on a conventional city bike, an e-bike, a mountain bike, or an ergometer in the gym, for example. But what time or number of kilometers gives you a guideline for your own basic fitness? In other words, how long and how far should women and men be able to cycle? Find out what the expert told us about this below.
Overview
Positive effects of cycling
Endurance and strength training, as well as burning calories, are just a few of the benefits of full-body training. It also gets the cardiovascular system going, as the constant movement, which is normally moderate, promotes heart function. In addition, the lungs are stressed, all of which lead to improved oxygen uptake. As a result, you increase your general stamina. Regular cycling can, therefore, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and, at the same time, keep your blood pressure stable or lower your blood pressure.
Cycling vs. jogging: Two key differences
Unlike jogging, most modern bikes have gear systems that allow for overdrive or underdrive. “You can work relatively well with this. This means that even untrained people can manage half an hour or even an hour,” explains Billy Sperlich. “Jogging for half an hour or even a whole hour, on the other hand, is something completely different for a beginner. This is because you have to support your body weight and accelerate again each time,” says the sports scientist.
The second major difference to running is that cycling is much easier on the joints, as most of the weight is carried by the bike. This makes cycling particularly attractive for individuals with joint problems or those who are overweight. This is also the reason why it is usually possible to cover much longer distances or a much longer time on a bike without overloading or pain.
Two focal points for basic fitness
This is especially true if the two main points of contact—the buttocks, or gluteus maximus, and the hands or wrists—are properly trained. “And this is often a factor if you don’t cycle that much,” says Sperlich. The leg muscles, especially the thighs and calves, are also put under a lot of strain, as are the core and back muscles. “Two factors are crucial for basic fitness when cycling. Firstly, the ergonomic area,” says the fitness expert.
In order to avoid problems here and, for example, to be able to keep the upper body stable and upright for a certain period of time, it is helpful to train the parts of the body that are particularly stressed. This also prevents back pain or pressure points on the buttocks caused by the saddle, which start to rub or hurt after a while. “The simple rule is to practice. The more you exert yourself, the more your body adapts,” says the professor from the University of Würzburg. “The second point has to do with the metabolism. This provides energy for as long as we exert ourselves. If we push ourselves too hard, the tanks are empty more quickly. If we exert ourselves moderately and intensively, we can go relatively far,” the expert explains.
It is even smarter to combine cycling with appropriate food intake. “Your stomach doesn’t vibrate like it does when you’re running, which is better for digestion,” says the expert. Water with electrolytes or a banana is sufficient, especially for amateur cyclists, to replenish empty stores and provide energy.
Duration: How long you should be able to cycle
And what time without a break can we talk about in order to have a certain basic level of fitness? How long should you be able to cycle for? Sperlich estimates: “If you have a good ergonomic set-up, ride at a reasonable intensity, and replenish your energy levels, then I would say that you can manage two, three, four, or even five hours relatively quickly. But yes, if you can manage two hours at the beginning, then you’re already pretty fit.”
This applies to both men and women. The reason: “Body weight doesn’t play a major role here because it is carried by the saddle. Of course, it makes a difference whether someone weighs 60 or 100 kilograms. But it doesn’t really matter whether they weigh 70 or 85 kilograms.”
The prerequisite is a predominantly flat and even route in a moderate gear on a normal everyday bike, without steep climbs. “So you can pedal at your usual 70 to 80 revolutions per minute. That would also be a sign of fitness,” says the university lecturer. This is because beginners would usually ride at a cadence of 60 in slightly higher gears. “The more experienced cyclist will always use a slightly lower gear and pedal much faster. This is simply more beneficial in terms of blood flow. And you notice this relatively quickly if you ride a lot.”
Length: You should be able to cover this distance
The question remains as to what distance men and women should aim for in order to be considered fundamentally fit. Sperlich also knows the answer here: “Let’s put it this way: the average cyclist with a bit of practice will pedal at around 20 kilometers per hour. With this rule, you can manage quite well on flat terrain.” In other words, you can cover 20 kilometers in one hour and 40 kilometers in two hours.
Very important: the right heart rate
As with jogging, your heart rate is also crucial when cycling, as it determines your individual performance. And here, too, it is the case that without experience with the pulse rate, you are intuitively going far too fast. It is, therefore, surprising that you may not be able to keep going for at least two hours but are completely out of breath after around 30 minutes. Measuring your heart rate would reveal that it is significantly above the recommended value.
“It’s exactly the same here,” explains the expert. “But when cycling, you always have about ten beats less per minute. If the comfortable pace for running is 130 beats per minute, then it’s around 120 here. That’s because cycling involves slightly less muscle mass,” says Sperlich.
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How to start cycling to build up basic fitness
Nothing works without training, and cycling is no different. One of the expert’s recommendations is to build up gradually at the beginning. “Maybe you do it very simply. If you can just manage an hour, you should perhaps set yourself a goal of an hour and ten minutes and build up slowly,” advises the sports scientist. Then, it goes quite quickly, so that with three or four training sessions, you can quickly reach two to three hours.
“In cycling, duration is the primary factor to consider. Before you shift up a gear, you should cycle at your comfortable pace for as long and as far as your ergonomics allow,” concludes Billy Sperlich.