bigjim wrote:but their work rate is easily 3x what an average cyclist would be putting out
You see that confuses me. Not hard I know. But if the fat guy on a heavy bike puffs and blows his way up a long steady climb, is his work rate/ calorie burn as much if not more than the thin, snake hipped tour rider on his feather weight carbon steed?
Often I see tour riders cruising along chatting to their mates rather than running flat out all day.
It's complicated but a more active person will have a heightened metabolism and will burn more calories, they are 'fitter' so don't get out of breath as easily, hence can chat at a pace others would struggle but the legs are still pumping and that requires a certain amount of fuel to burn.
That said the more variables you add the more complex it gets.. Heavy guy on heavy bike, small guy on a light race bike.. We don't know how active either are, the big guy might be a rugby player, the little guy may not have done any exercise for years..