Learn French: Autant le cyclisme est fatigant, autant le golf est relaxant. - As much as cycling is tiring, so much is golf relaxing.

Because the autant... autant... structure is used to state objective facts and establish a parallel contrast between two realities. It means 'As much as X is true, Y is true,' so there is no uncertainty or subjectivity that would trigger the subjunctive.

Why is fatigant spelled without a 'u' after the 'g', even though the verb is fatiguer?

This is a tricky spelling rule in French. When the present participle of a verb ending in -guer becomes a pure adjective, it loses the 'u'. The gerund verb form is en fatiguant (by tiring), but the adjective describing the sport is fatigant (tiring).

Why do we need the article le before both cyclisme and golf?

In French, definite articles (le, la, les) are required when you talk about concepts, categories, or activities in a general sense. While English just uses the bare nouns 'cycling' and 'golf', French requires the articles to show you mean the sports as a whole.

Can I change the word order to put autant next to the adjectives, like 'Le cyclisme est autant fatigant...'?