Cycling and walking

[chrisrob]

Like all mechanical devices, my bicycle is less than 100% efficient. Therefore, if I traverse a circular route to end up where I started, I must exert more energy than if I was just walking.

Why is it, then that if I cycle my 24 mile circular route in 2 hours, I take less time to recover than if I walk the same route in 8 hours?

OR have I made a faux pas and not realised that walking is actually far less efficient than cycling? If so, where is the wasted energy? Do my feet get hotter than when cycling?

[jake-the-peg]

I think you'll find cycling far more efficient than walking.

If you are at the top of a hill you can reach the bottom cycling with hardly any energy expenditure at all.

Imagine a single stroke of the pedals - how much further will that take you than a single step?

Why don't your feet get hot? well they do all of you does - but that energy is disapated over a much longer time period 8 hours as opposed to 2 in your example