Rory McIlroy has a new workout obsession: Peloton

The question was promised to be “off the beaten path,” but even with that warning, Rory McIlroy couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

“There are some really impressive Peloton metrics floating around online, and the rumor is they belong to you,” asked Shane Ryan of Paste Magazine. “Can you confirm that that was you?”

Turns out, it was McIlroy to whom the impressive numbers belonged.

“But I think the bike was a little juiced,” McIlroy said, getting a chuckle out of the room of golf reporters.

The numbers Ryan was alluding to show McIlroy rode nearly 20 miles at an average pace of 26.3 mph. He produced 955 kj of energy and ranked 11th out of 9,240 riders on the leaderboard.

Not bad for a golfer.

Peloton is a subscription-based workout system using stationary bikes in which instructor-led workout classes are streamed onto a mounted screen in front of the rider. The system also has a competitive element to it in which riders compete against themselves and other riders. It appears McIlroy is hooked.

He went on to explain that he owns a Pelton bike in his home, one that isn’t as “juiced” as the one he rode up the leaderboards. But even when he’s on the road, he still makes it a point to get in two to three sessions a week on the bike.

“I’ve never really enjoyed doing cardio,” McIlroy said. “But since learning about Peloton and doing it and being a part of that whole community and stuff, I’ve started to enjoy it. And I enjoy the whole leaderboard aspect of it and that it is competitive in some ways. You’re always trying to beat your last score.”

Who would have thought the best golfer in the world enjoyed a little competition?

And while you can’t compete with McIlroy on the golf course, you can compete with him in Peloton. The bikes start at $2,245. While that might seem pricey, it’s cheaper than buying into a pro-am pairing with McIlroy. No one said getting to compete against the best in the world would be cheap.

McIlroy has been a machine in his performance on the course this season as he’s yet to finish outside the top five. How much of this can be attributed to the Peloton? It’s impossible to say. But at the very least, it’s keeping the world No. 1 in peak physical form.

“It makes me earn my dinners and sort of keeps me in decent shape,” McIlroy said. “I’ve been enjoying it.”

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