On the ride summary, what unit of measure is being used for the kJ (Cal) field, is it kilojoules or calories?
1 Like
The reason it says kJ (Cal) is because these are considered to be a 1:1 ratio. We have a blog post that explains all of the math and science that goes into explaining this here: kJ to Calories Conversion: How many calories do I burn cycling?
So, to answer your question, both! (or just one depending on how you think about it 
)
1 Like
It will be in Kilojoules, but you can convert to Calories 1:1 (almost). Here is an abstract from Training and Racing with a Power Meter for a more detailed explanation:
Almost all current power meters report the amount of work you have performed in joules in addition to measuring and recording your power in watts. Joules (J) and kilojoules (kJ) are therefore a measure of energy expenditure, or work performed. Here in the United States, however, this is usually measured in kilocalories, or Calories (1 kilocalorie, or large Calorie [with a capital “C”], is equal to 1,000 small calories [lowercase]).
By definition, there are 4.184 kJ per Calorie, so at first glance it would seem that to determine your energy expenditure using power-meter data, you would simply divide your total work in kJ by 4.184. However, this is not correct because power meters measure external work production, not the amount of energy needed to perform that work. Most of the energy expended during cycling is actually converted into “waste” heat that must be dissipated to the environment, with only a portion available to actually turn the pedals. The relationship between work performed and energy expended depends upon your thermodynamic efficiency (i.e., your ability to process food and convert it into energy) when cycling, which, for most trained cyclists, is on the order of 20–25 percent.
Thus, to estimate your energy expenditure (in Calories, or kilocalories) from the amount of work performed, using a power meter, you would need to first divide your total work in kilojoules by 4.184, but then multiply this result by either 4 (if efficiency is at 25 percent) or 5 (if efficiency is at 20 percent). These conversion factors tend to simply cancel one another out, such that you can also take the value for the total work performed in kJ as an estimate of your energy expenditure in kilocalories (or Calories). Although the exact relationship between kJ and kcal is not one to one, it probably is not worth worrying about any error this assumption creates, since an individual’s efficiency can only be readily determined in a laboratory setting, and can vary depending upon the intensity and duration of training, environmental conditions, and other factors.
7 Likes
if my efficiency was at 25% I’d never look at calories 
Great description btw
1 Like
Nice explanation👍🏼
I love thermogenesis.
Ok so just so that I understand all of this in terms of fueling.
I did a workout on TR where I burnt 1,000Cal, does that mean in order to stay “neutral” I’d need to eat 10 Gu gels at 100Cal each?
If you were “neutral” outside of the workout, then yes that would be correct. I don’t know that 10 gels is the way I would do it, but whatever floats your boat.
1 Like
No intention of taking the 10 gels…just trying to make sure I understood the math
1 Like
You ve got it right. There are so many things happening to produce power from a gram of sugar you put in in the system. Thermogenesis is only one of many. Here are some Links to back it up:
But in the end: 1:1 is ok for all Average Joes.