Newbie needs help with proper fueling for ride

[OakLeaf]

Not sure about my HRM. I bought the Polar F6 (with the chest strap) specifically because of it's good reputation for accuracy. My heart rate gets really high when I cycle as compared to other activities I do. I assume it's because I'm a newbie and I'm pushing pretty hard. I'm sure as my body acclimates to the sport I will burn less. Or maybe it's just wrong? Dunno....

When they talk about accuracy of a HRM, they're mostly talking about how accurately it reads and records your heart rate.

Calories burned is another thing. Even the best estimators, that take into account age, sex and weight, are just estimators based on average people's VO2 max and average power output. (Polar is reputed to have one of the best estimators, though.)

And I might be wrong about this, but I don't think your ability to burn calories at a given HR becomes more efficient as you become fitter - just the opposite - as someone pointed out, one component of calorie expenditure is your mechanical output, and obviously at any given HR, a professional cyclist can put out way more wattage than a recreational rider or casual racer.

Or, to put it another way, if my HRM tells me I've burned as many calories in a day, as I know that TdF athletes eat during the race, I call BS.