One hour of bicycle riding can require 500-900 kcal of energy, depending on the speed, the terrain, and the weight of the racer. An individual wants to lose weight by riding at a modest effort, consuming 505 kcal of energy per hour. How many hours must he ride to lose 15.0 pounds of body fat? One gram of body fat is equivalent to 7.70 kcal of energy. There are 454 g in 1 lb.
To calculate the number of hours the individual must ride to lose 15.0 pounds of body fat, we need to convert the weight from pounds to grams and then determine the total amount of energy that needs to be burned.
First, let's convert the weight from pounds to grams:
15.0 pounds * 454 g/pound = 6810 grams
Since 1 gram of body fat is equivalent to 7.70 kcal of energy, we can calculate the total energy that needs to be burned:
6810 grams * 7.70 kcal/gram = 52437 kcal
Now, we know that riding at a modest effort consumes 505 kcal of energy per hour. To find the number of hours required to burn 52437 kcal, we divide the total energy by the energy burned per hour:
52437 kcal / 505 kcal/hour = 103.73 hours
Therefore, the individual would need to ride for approximately 103.73 hours to lose 15.0 pounds of body fat.