How Long Does It Take to Bike 3 Miles?

If you need a quick fat-burning formula or exercise, it doesn’t exist. What does exist is a sustainable, steady, and reasonable exercise like cycling that helps you melt off that excess body fat at a sustainable rate.

However, beginners might find it hard to maintain longer distances. That’s why it’s vital to begin your journey with a low distance, like a 3-mile trail ride.

So, how long does it take to bike 3 miles, and what are the benefits of cycling that distance? In this article, we will explain that and more.

How Many Calories Does a 3-Mile Bike Ride Burn?

According to a Harvard study, a 3-mile bike ride burns about 145 calories for a 150-pound cyclist paddling at an average speed of 12 miles per hour. Increasing the speed to 14 miles per hour would see the cyclist hitting higher calories burned.

You’ll need to eat a balanced and well-thought-out diet to burn more calories when you bike a mile or more. Unfortunately, eating too many carbs or not enough calcium prevents you from burning more calories.

5 Benefits of Biking 3 Miles Every Day

Biking has immense benefits. It’s a great place to start if you need a fun exercise to get you sweaty and increase your heart rate.

By riding a bike, a recreational or professional cyclist improves their mental health and physical health. Read on for more benefits of riding 3 miles a day.

#1 Cycling helps you lose weight and build muscle

Burning enough calories depends on how much of a calorie deficit you’re on. Usually, this should be within a healthy range for your current weight. Combined with an optimized meal plan, bike riding helps you increase calories burned and lose healthy weight.

In addition to the weight shedding benefits, the resistance part of cycling helps you engage your muscles and build muscle strength in the calves, glutes, hamstrings, and quads. So while you wouldn’t look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, you’ll have some nicely toned muscles.

As you work those muscles on your bike ride, remember that you shouldn’t depend on cycling to gain overall muscle strength and definition. If you want more than the usual biking muscle tone, you must include other strength training exercises.

#2 Cycling offers a less time-consuming alternative for transportation

Imagine you’re running a short errand and don’t feel like walking the distance or calling a taxi. Driving might get you in traffic, and a bus could drop you too far from your destination. 

Instead of sitting in traffic, mount your bike and ride to the store or your neighborhood market. You’ll save time and put in a good workout while at it. 

Also, by choosing cycling instead of a car or bus ride, you’re doing your part to reduce carbon emissions and save the planet in the long run.

Biking also saves you money on gas and bus fares. In addition, it’s an accessible mode of transportation that keeps you active during your short journey and prevents you from sitting stationary in traffic for too long. Also, those short journeys increase the average time spent biking.

#3 Cycling improves your lung health

According to a study by Europa.eu and two other organizations, cyclists encounter less air pollution than those using other ground transportation. The study monitored those who commuted by car, walking, and cycling on busy roads and quieter routes.

They found that the pedestrian was exposed to much higher air pollution as they spent more time on the road breathing in fumes and clouds of dust that didn’t disperse quickly.

The motorists, including the driver and passengers, breathed in more polluted air as exhaust fumes from the front and the back didn’t disperse quickly, especially in stand-still traffic. In addition, the study showed that being inside a car does not exempt you from exposure to exhaust fumes.

On the other hand, the cyclist experienced far less exposure because the air quickly dispersed as they rode, and they spent less time on the road than the pedestrian.

#4 Cycling improves heart health and reduces cancer risk

Cycling as an exercise increases your heart rate, gets the blood pumping more, and increases the number of calories burned. As a result, riding a bike improves your health, keeps your heart safe, and reduces your risk of developing life-changing heart and cancer-related diseases.

In a recent study by the University of Glasgow, researchers studied a group of over 200 commuters. They wanted to know how their mode of transportation affects their health risk for incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, and all-cause mortality.

The study concluded that riding helped lower cyclists’ risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease compared to those who walked or used motor vehicles.

#5 Cycling improves spatial awareness

Do you ever know the distance between you and an object you’re about to reach? Or your ability to use a map while driving or walking? This ability to mentally tell the distance between objects in your environment relative to your position is called spatial awareness.

Cycling involves cornering, descending and ascending, and weaving between trees and people, depending on rough or smooth terrain. Your ability to use your body weight and manipulate the bicycle’s controls to go where you want it to helps improve your spatial awareness.

Also, riding a bike improves your internal navigational skills. You may have to navigate areas without an internet connection, forcing you to figure out the route on your own.

FAQs

Conclusion

How long it takes to bike a mile or three depends on several factors like a person’s fitness, terrain, type of bike, gender, etc. For example, your average bike speed will increase if you’re on a downhill mile ride and decrease on an uphill one.

By cycling 3 miles daily, you’re developing a healthy heart and lungs, reducing weight, and improving mental health and spatial awareness. You’ll shed weight sustainably while you bike a mile and enjoy all the benefits.