Eddington Number

Sir Arthur Stanley Eddington was an English astronomer, physicist, and mathematician of the early 20th century who devised a measure of a cyclist’s long-distance riding achievements. The Eddington number in the context of cycling is defined as the maximum number E such that the cyclist has cycled E miles on E days. For example, an Eddington number of 70 would imply that the cyclist has cycled at least 70 miles in a day on 70 occasions. [learn more]

Strictly speaking, the Eddington Number is based on miles, but some people like to calculate it in terms of kilometers, time, or climbing.

My Eddington Number(s), as of the end of 2018, are:

  • Eddington Miles: 72
  • Eddington Kilometers: 108km
  • Eddington Time: 249 minutes

Here are some places that will help you calculate your own Eddington Number:

Most of these sites can, with your permission, pull in your Strava data and calculate the numbers for you in a few seconds. Or you can pore through your spreadsheet data and calculate it manually (have fun!).

The goal, of course, is to increase your E-number(s) over time.

You can also calculate your E-number(s) on a per-year basis, which is an interesting way to quantify your annual cycling, over and above distance and time.