Health Benefits of Cycling:
Cycling is good for your heart
The key benefit of regular cycling is likely to be the reduction in coronary heart disease (CHD), as studies
suggest that regular cyclists suffer fewer than half the deaths from CHD that inactive people do.CHD is
both the single largest cause of death, and the single main cause of premature death. (4)
Cycling daily reduces the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes. (1,2,3,4)
One rough calculation suggests that new cyclists covering short distances can reduce their risk of death
(mainly due to the reduction of heart disease) by as much as 22 per cent. (5)
Cycling is good for your waistline
Cycling can help you lose weight. (2) A half hour spend riding your bike every day to work (five times a
week) will burn 11 pounds of fat in a year. (6)
Chart of Calories Burned
Activity (1 hour)
130lbs
155lbs
190lbs
225lbs
Aerobics, general, low impact
354
422
518
621
Aerobics, high impact
413
493
604
715
Basketball, game
472
563
690
837
Bicycling, 10-11.9 mph, light effort
354
422
518
593
Bicycling, 12-13.9 mph, moderate effort
472
563
690
891
Bicycling, 14-15.9 mph, vigorous effort
590
704
863
1080
Bicycling, 16-19 mph, fast, racing
708
844
1035
1220
Bicycling, >20 mph, very fast, racing
944
1126
1380
1540
Bicycling, BMX or mountain
Running, 6 mph (10 min mile)
502
598
733
864
590
704
863
1026
Running, 10.9 mph (5.5 min mile)
1062
1267
1553
1836
Walking, 2.0 mph, slow pace
148
176
218
284
Walking, 3.0 mph, moderate pace, walking dog
207
246
343
445
Walking, 4.0 mph, very brisk pace
236
281
402
526
As you can see cycling is an excellent way to burn calories. By substituting cycling for driving you gain
significant health benefits without using any more time out of your day.
Cycling is good for your mood
Cycling can make you feel better mentally. (2) Studies have shown that regular cyclists, compared with
inactive people, have improved well-being, higher self-esteem and greater confidence in their ability to
perform active tasks, along with better mental functioning. (4,5,7)
Cycling is good for your muscles and bones
Being strong and coordinate (something regular cyclists certainly are) can be beneficial in reducing
injuries from falls, which can be seriously disabling, especially in older people.( 4,5,8,9) Physically active
older people have much reduced rates of hip fracture. (10)
Cycling is good for your lungs
Cyclists and pedestrians actually absorb lower levels of pollutants from traffic fumes than car drivers.
(4,11)
Cycling is good for you!
A British study found that 'even a small amount of cycling can lead to significant gains in fitness'. The
study found that aerobic fitness was boosted by 11% after just six weeks of cycling 'short distances' four
times a week.(8) If your daily trip is about four miles (to and from work) the aerobic benefit increased to
17 per cent. (8)
According to the same study people who do not exercise, but then start cycling, move from the least fit
third of the population, to the fittest top half of the population in just a few months. (8)
Environmental Benefits of Cycling:
Cycling helps fight global warming
When a gallon of gasoline is burned it produces 19.5 pounds of CO2 (it weighs more than the original
gas since it combines with oxygen in the air). Knowing that we can run the numbers for various modes
of transport and see how they compare to a bicycle. All data taken from manufactures website or
government sites (as noted)
Vehicle
2008 Toyota Prius
2008 Honda Accord
2008 Ford F150 (2WD 6 cyl, 4.2 L, Automatic 4-spd, Regular)
2008 Human on Bicycle (12 mph weighing 155lbs)
(12,13,14,15,16,17)
MPG (city driving)
48
22
14
660-900!
So we know how much gas each of these kinds of transport use, but how much CO2 do they produce?
Vehicle
Gas Burned 5/10/15 Mile Trip
CO2 produced 5/10/15 miles
Human on Bicycle
.007/.015/.022 gallons
.136/.292/.429 pounds
Prius
.104/.208/.312 gallons
2.02/4.05/6.08 pounds
Accord
.227/.454/.681 gallons
4.42/8.85/13.2 pounds
F150
.333/.714/1.07 gallons
6.49/13.9/20.8 pounds
As you can see the bicycle is far superior in both fuel used, and CO2 produced, making it by far better for
the environment than any gas powered method of transportation.
References
1. Carnall D. Cycling and health promotion. A safer, slower urban road environment is the key. BMJ 2000; 320:
888.
2. Mersy DJ. Health benefits of aerobic exercise. Postgrad Med 1991; 90: 103-7 and 110-2.
3. Kelley GA. Effects of Aerobic exercise in normotensive adults: a brief metaanalytic review of controlled clinical
trials. South Med J 1995; 88: 42-46.
4. http://www.cyclingengland.co.uk/
5. Rutter H. Modal shift. Transport and health. A policy report on the health benefits of increasing levels of
cycling in Oxfordshire www.modalshift.org/reports/tandh/print_version.htm
6. Leeds cycling action group. Cycling and Health www.leedscyclists.org.uk/health.htm
7. Scully D, Kremer J, Meade MM et al. Physical exercise and psychological wellbeing. In MacAuley D (Ed.)
Benefits and hazards of exercise. London: BMJ Books 1999.
8. Fentem PH. ABC of sports medicine. Benefits of exercise in health and disease. BMJ 1994; 308: 1291-5.
9. Joakimsen RM, Magnus JH, Fonnebo V. Physical activity and predisposition for hip fractures: a review.
Osteoporosis Int 1998; 7: 503-13.
10. Rank J, Folke J, Jespersen PH. Differences in cyclists and car drivers exposure to air pollution from traffic in the
city of Copenhagen. Sci Total Environ 2001; 279: 131-6.
11. Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. A new deal for transport: Better for everyone.
Chapter 2 Sustainable transport. Published 20 July 1998.
12. http://www.toyota.com/prius-hybrid/specs.html
13. http://automobiles.honda.com/accord-coupe/specifications.aspx?group=epa
14. http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/byclass.htm
15. To figure out the equivalent in gas that a human would use per mile we have to do a bit more math.
A human being on a bike (at 12mph and weighing 155lbs) burns about 560 calories an hour. Because our food is
made using a lot of oil (fertilizer, tractors, shipping etc) it has been estimated that we use 1 calorie of oil for every
calorie of food we create (these are 1970 numbers). (16) And we know that gasoline has about 31,000 calories in it
(17) we can figure out how many gallons of gas it takes per mile by the following equation.
560 calories to go 12 miles = 1/55 of a gallon of gas (31,000 calories)
Multiply 55 x 12 (how far you would go if you burned an entire gallon of gas worth of calories) and you get 660
miles per gallon. This is a conservative estimate some rank it much higher (17)
16. http://www.harpers.org/archive/2004/02/0079915
17. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question527.htm
18. http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/saving/efficiency/savingenergy.html