24 reasons why cycling is better than running

There are countless ways of saying that cycling is the greatest sport on earth. For example, you could say that Matthew Hayman's win in the 2016 Paris-Roubaix is such an epic story that it cannot be seen in any other sport. Or that the freedom that cycling gives you is an indescribable feeling best compared to a mini holiday of a few hours. Yet runners are stubborn in their opinion that running is the best sport in the world. To make it clear once and for all that runners are deadbeats, I have written down the 24 reasons why cycling is better than running. So that all runners go to the bike shop to buy a road bike as soon as possible!

1. Cycling makes you smarter

Researchers at the University of Illinois found that an improvement in cycling performance of 5% leads to an improvement of 15% in mental tests. This is because cycling helps you produce brain cells in the hippocampus - the part of your brain that is (partly) responsible for memory.

2. Walking gets to know your city, cycling your region

When you are on a bike, you come across the most beautiful places. From that beautiful mill in the polder to forests where you would get lost as a runner.

3. Less risk of heart disease

Multiple studies from Purdue University suggest that regular cycling can reduce the risk of heart attack by as much as 50%! When you consider that 30,000 people a year suffer heart attacks in the Netherlands alone, you can imagine that this number could be reduced by huge numbers worldwide! By cycling just 30 kilometres a week, you lower your risk of a heart attack by about 50%. If you were looking for another reason to start cycling, this seems like excellent motivation to me!

4. It's better for your muscles

One of the best studies comparing running and cycling was conducted by Appalachian State University. Following their research (link), their urgent advice to runners was to take up cycling as a sport (in addition to running) and if you are unsure between running or cycling, they give you the urgent advice to go cycling.

The study found that runners experience much more muscle discomfort during and after their exercise. Runners complained of tired muscles, muscle irritation and inflamed muscles. In many cases, muscle damage was detected in runners. In cyclists, with equal efforts, much less damage to the muscles was detected and they had much less pain.

5. Cyclists have the best sex

The more active you are, the better it is for your blood vessels. And since you are generally engaged for a long time while cycling, this is extra good for your vascular health. And you might not think it, but your blood vessels play a crucial role during sex, especially boosting and maintaining your libido.

Male cyclists on average have the sex drive appropriate to an age five years lower than their actual age, and men over 50 who cycle at least 3 hours a week are 50% less likely to be impotent. Female cyclists on average enter menopause two to five years later thanks to the rides they take on their bikes.

6. You are perfectly capable of cycling to work

But your boss already sees you coming in your running clothes. Sweaty. And with a red head.

7. Cycling is a social sport

During a bike ride, you can perfectly catch up with your best friend, network with clients or meet new people as the kilometres slip under your wheels. While running, it is impossible to have a good conversation unless you go for a walk.

8. You sleep deeper

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine asked people suffering from insomnia to cycle for 20-30 minutes every day. The result? The time taken to fall asleep was reduced by half, and sleep time increased by almost an hour!

9. You look younger

Researchers at Stanford University found out in their study that cycling can protect your skin from the harmful effects of UV radiation and reduce the signs of ageing. Dermatologist Dr Christopher Rowland Payne explains: "Cycling improves circulation of oxygen and nutrients to skin cells, while removing harmful toxins faster." Cycling also causes collagen to be produced, making you less likely to get wrinkles and improving the healing process of wounds.

10. Cycling men and women can do together

Have you ever run with your partner (I am assuming for the sake of convenience that you are straight)? Training together almost always means that the man has to hold back, the difference with a woman is very big. However, cycling can be done perfectly together, because of the gradual effort you can spend the first hour chatting side by side, while on the way back the man can cycle in front like a gentleman, giving the woman much less resistance. When you get home, both of you will have had a great workout!

11. Cyclists sick less often

Forget fruit and vegetables. A ride on your bike will keep you healthy. Medium exercise (cycling) causes immune cells to become more active and better ready to fight infections shows research by Cath Collins of St George's Hospital in London.

Other research, from the University of North Carolina, shows that people who cycle an average of 30 minutes a day spend half as many days sick as their colleagues who never ride a bike!

12. Cyclists are much further ahead in the hunt for doping

If you look at the world of cycling, banned substances are hugely controlled. The years of living in denial are long gone and kids have now regained the belief that they can make it to the top without having to use banned substances. In athletics and running specifically, there are continuous athletes running into the doping lamp, but the world around the athletes still remains in denial.

13. Cyclists live longer (and runners die earlier)

From Utrecht University research shows that with normal cycling, you live six months longer. Just think how many extra years you live when actively cycling!
Runners, on the other hand, are indeed found to be deadbeats. Research on runners found that they have a shorter life expectancy have.

So take off those running shoes and put on your cycling clothes!

14. Cycling is much less injury-prone

The most common injuries among cyclists are caused by incorrect posture. So a bike measurement can definitely help you prevent injuries. Cyclists fall on average once every 45,000 kilometres. As it is quite a feat to cycle 5,000 kilometres in a year, a cyclist falls on average once every nine years.

When we look at running, we see that the shocks you have to absorb in your knees, ankles and your back are hugely injury-prone. We all know the complaints about ankles and knees, but did you know that the shocks a runner absorbs cause his back vertebrae to collapse. A marathon runner has shrunk an average of one centimetre after finishing due to the compressed spinal vertebrae. Although this is a temporary effect and recovers itself, it cannot be good for your body.

And then one more fact. Number of injuries per 1,000 hours:
Cycling: 6
Running: 11

15. Anyone can start cycling

Think back to your first bike. As a child, you could have fun with that for hours. Nothing bothered you, you could soon go fast and far. With the wind in your hair, you feel like heaven and get to places you've never been before.
Compare that to running. Most want to but find it hard to persevere. You are just really bad when you start. You hate it. After just a few minutes, you have to stop to pant out, asking yourself why you would torture your body like this....

It takes an awful lot of perseverance to keep running. In my experience, cycling is much easier to start and persevere with.

16. Cycling can make you a faster runner, but running cannot make you a better cyclist

By training for long periods in low zones, cyclists build up a tremendous basic fitness. You can put this fitness to good use as a runner; that endurance ability is much harder to build with running because the intensity is much higher by default.
In addition, while cycling, you train additional muscles that you need with running. This will make you faster, more flexible, stronger and more efficient when running.

The other way round works the same, of course, but it does not have nearly the same effect.

17. Cyclists can invest endlessly

Ok, runners have very cool shoes, shirts and a very sexy bracelet for their smartphones (NOT!).
Cyclists know what real style is and can invest endlessly in upgrades and accessories. A new helmet, a better Garmin, stylish socks, faster wheels, sleek sunglasses and I could go on and on.

18. Cyclists are handier

Thanks to your bike, you have an enormous amount of tools at your disposal, and by doing relatively simple jobs on your bike, you learn to see connections quickly and easily. The experience and insights will come in handy when a tap leaks, a door is crooked or an IKEA cupboard needs to be put together. If you are an avid (bicycle) handyman, you can do more yourself and even save money on an expensive handyman.

19. Cyclists have fantastically beautiful legs

I will admit that it is a rather subjective statement, taken from a biased point of view. But still. What could be more beautiful than a beautiful pair of, well groomed, shaved, shiny legs in top condition?

20. Cyclists know the thrill of going downhill

The biggest reward of climbing a mountain by bike (something you won't be so quick to do running anyway) is ultimately the descent! The speed you experience, the control over your bike, the calculated risks you can take. The thrill you get from that is in no way achievable with running.

21. You can better explore the surroundings at your holiday destination

You can take your running shoes with you on holiday, but you won't get very far from the campsite or from your hotel. If you spend the night in a city, you will have a huge amount of traffic lights and, as a runner, it will be hard to get into a rhythm. As a cyclist, you will be in the wider area of your holiday destination in no time and you can quickly and easily discover the most beautiful spots, meet the nicest people and find out where the tastiest bakery in the region is and where they serve the best coffee. With a few hours on your bike, you will have seen more of your holiday destination than any excursion!

22. Cycling makes you lose weight faster than running

Many people think that jogging or running is the fastest way to lose weight. And although running burns a lot of fat, it is not so good for you if you are just a bit healthier than you should be. Think about it, after every step your bones and muscles get so impacted that you have huge chances of injury. So the chances of you running to the physio in no time are huge. If you start cycling, you will lose weight more gradually, which is also a lot nicer for your body.

23. Cyclists age beautifully

The older you get, the more you change. Researchers at King's College London found out in their study on ageing that amateur cyclists aged between 55 and 70 were psychologically and biologically much younger compared to the rest of that target group.

Steve Harridge, the senior author of the study published the research in The Journal of Physiology: 'We had assumed that there is a linear straight line decline in physiology with ageing but that is very unlikely to be the case. We're not saying we're reversing ageing but that cycling seems to optimise the ageing process.'

24. Pregnant? Get on your bike!

That sounds a bit crazy. But it really is true. Pregnant women who rode their bikes for a bit every day reported less fatigue and the baby's birth also went more smoothly. Running during pregnancy, on the other hand, is frowned upon by many doctors because it can have too much impact on the baby.