Billy Horschel is on an epic quest to match Rory McIlroy’s Peloton stats

With the PGA Tour on hiatus for the foreseeable future, Tour pros need to focus their competitive fire elsewhere. For Billy Horschel, that means trying to catch World No. 1 Rory McIlroy not on the golf course, but rather on a bike.

During a press conference before the Players, McIlroy revealed that he was the proud owner of some “really impressive Peloton metrics.”

With nothing but time on his hands and a bike at his disposal, Horschel thought it would be fun to try to match McIlroy’s head-turning Peloton ride.

Horschel rode about 17 miles at an average pace of 23.1 mph compared to McIlroy’s nearly 20 miles at an average pace of 26.3 mph. In terms of energy output, Horschel produced 682 kj of energy and ranked 253rd out of 13,685 riders on the leaderboard whereas Rory’s output stood at 955 kj of energy and finished 11th out of 9,240 riders.

Despite performing the same ride with the same instructor, McIlroy outpaced Horschel in every metric.

Still, the numbers don’t lie: golfers are athletes.

To complicate matters a bit, McIlroy admitted that the bike he rode during that impressive ride may not tell the whole story. “I think the bike was a little juiced,” McIlroy told reporters.

He went on to explain that he owns a Peloton bike in his home that isn’t as “juiced” as the one he rode up the leaderboard, and past Horschel.

For pro golfers like McIlroy and Horschel, Peloton provides a convenient escape to the “gym” without having to leave their homes, which can be complicated when you’re a globally recognized athlete. It also gives them an outlet to channel their competitiveness into until the return of professional golf.

“Since learning about. Peloton and doing it and being a part of that whole community, I’ve started to enjoy [cardio]. And I enjoy the whole leaderboard aspect of it and that it is competitive in some ways.”

Horschel and McIlroy aren’t the only golfers who enjoy a Peloton ride. Jordan Spieth told GQ Magazine in January that he owns a Peloton and rides it often.

While pro golfers won’t be competing on the course for a while, they can still compete against each other in Peloton. And so can you — the bikes start at $2,245.

In the meantime, it looks like Rory has found a different way to stay atop the leaderboard.

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