Some of the obsessions of a cyclist consists in going faster and ride with greater strength, abilities which key is on the weight of the bike and cyclist, but do you know what is the weight of a cyclist to develop its maximum potential?
Here we will tell you everything you must know about this controversial but interesting topic.
Join us in this ride and be prepared to lose fat.
What is the weight of a cyclist?
Many times, we have lived obsessed with the weight of our bike. It doesn’t matter if is aluminum or carbon fiber, what we want is to be lighter to reach greater speeds. However, this won’t work too much if the lightness of bike is unbalanced with our extra weight.
The key for a greater resistance, efficiency, performance and technique is in the synchronization of the cyclist with its bike, including the weight of both.
For that reason, is important to know how much has to weigh a cyclist.
The correct relation between weight-height or the Body Mass Index, of people who use bike, it helps them to reach a greater speed and climbing gradients.
Gravity, friend or enemy
If you are an MTB cyclist, maybe you have noted this at the moment of going uphill.
Regularly, in even terrain you don’t have a problem to maintain the rhythm, but when going uphill, is where the real challenge begins, due strength and resistance come into action thanks to gravity.
This is due as heavier you are (and your bike), gravity pulls you down. On the other hand, as lighter as you are, the easier will be to going uphill; of course, always having a good resistance and strength in the pedaling, which includes having strong muscles in legs, trunk and back.
For example, if you are skinny, surely heavier cyclists than you pass without problem in even field, due to the greater weight, greater strength in the pedaling. However, in very steep terrains, it is easy for you to pass them, due gravity has less strength on you and you must carry with less weight at the moment of going uphill and passing.
What should be my ideal weight?
Once you understand this, we can answer how much has to weigh a cyclist, or at least have an approximate idea.
Even though exist different formulas to know how much has to weigh a cyclist, we can’t say that exists a correct weight, an ideal or precise one, but let’s say a recommended or suggested one.
For example, while some of them comment that the BMS is the key, Joe Friel, trainer in resistance, comments that for every extra kilo in your bike or in the body, are necessary three watts to climb gradients.
According to this trainer, the formula to relate weight and performance is in dividing your weight in kilos divided by the height in centimeters. In the same way, it shares us the following data for the category of cyclists:
- High performance cyclists have values between 0,34 and 0,38 kg/cm.
- In highway, the best steppers have values of 0,36 kg/cm or less.
- The feminine elite cyclists have values of 0,32 kg/cm.
How much influence these values with reality?
The truth is that, even though the “ideal weight” influence too much, it isn’t a rule to be a better or worst stepper. It doesn’t matter if you have good muscles, or heavy or lightweight, the thing is when you don’t have the resistance neither physical condition to take advantage of both situations.
In any situation, is better to follow training routines to increase our abilities.
You should also consider, that, by natura, practicing cycling will make you lose weight, it doesn’t matter if you practice it recreationally, or for sport need and competitively; the simple fact of pedaling constantly for several minutes and during several days, will make you lose weight.
So, cycling will make you lose weight but maintaining the muscle. This is pretty beneficial when your goal is not to compete but trying to be a professional, you must be careful with losing the minimum weight recommended, as the physical decompensations that this involves, for that is important to have a healthy and balanced diet.
Here we share you a site where you will obtain an approximate relation of your weight and height as cyclist.
