Cycling is a fantastic sport that is enjoyed all over the world by millions of people each day. Lots of people ride a bike just as a means of transport, whilst others include cycling heavily in their fitness regime. The fitness benefits for your muscles varies quite a lot depending on which type of cycling you do. If you cycle very long distances at relatively low intensity, your muscles will become very good at endurance and will build many slow-twitch fibres. Conversely, it is powerful fast-twitch fibres that are built when your riding style is of high intensity but over shorter periods of time. So which muscles get worked the hardest when you ride a bike.
Quadriceps (thighs). The muscles that are worked the hardest whilst cycling and so need to be the most developed are the quads. These muscles work to extend the knee joint and provide a downward force on the pedals, which is then passed onto the crank. Racing bikes in fact are designed to locate the quads directly over the crack so that maximum efficiency is achieved. When travelling at speed the quadriceps contract and relax at an incredible rate and a great deal is demanded of them.
Gastrocnemius (calf). The muscles of the calf work just as hard as those of the thigh, and relative to their size they produce a lot of power. Flexing the calf muscles when the leg is in a straight position, points the toes towards and adds a small boost to the overall power output. Pinarello make pedals that dynamically pivot to squeeze every last bit of power juice from the calf muscles.
Hamstrings. Whist the quadriceps provide the downward power that propels the bike forwards, it is the hamstrings (back of the legs) that work to bring the leg back up into a flexed (bent) position. This doesn’t require much force on a standard bike as the rotation of the pedals pushes the leg up but when you use cycling shoes that clip to the pedals, a large amount of additional force can be generated by these muscles in the upward movement
