I didn’t beat the heat today; and in fact, doing so would have impossible. I was too tired to get up at 5:00 am; and the overnight temperature was about 79 degrees. It was hot before I even began my ride!

I increased my mileage back up to 19-20 miles, but still didn’t do hard efforts — partly because of the weather. I didn’t beat the heat, after all! But it seems that, no matter what I do, I spend most of my ride time in heart rate zones 3 and 4. So it looks like I burn mostly carbs when cycling. 

If you’re interested in cycling for weight loss, Ride Your Way Lean states that your primary concern should be burning calories. I’ve also read that, the more intensely you ride, the more you burn carbs rather than fat.

My knowledge of this subject is quite rudimentary; and I think I’ll keep on doing what I’ve been doing. If a sports nutritionist tells me different, then I’ll work at changing things.