Biking/Cycling Q's and A's

So, this area is for all- newbies, like me and experts (who I hope will participate and help with the A's part )

First question on the board:

How do I get lean long looking muscles biking? Do I have to ride a long time, or do I have to ride real hard etc.

2nd: how do cyclist keep their arms in shape? 

Thanks in advance you wonderful people!

Cheers

I don't know if you can change your overall body appearance other than losing weight.  Do you ride on road or off?  Most riders do some longer distance riding and some shorter, hard stuff.  As far as arms, do some weight training (rows, pushups, etc. 

You know how some major cyclist have huge quads? I already have big legs! lol. I wanted to know what type of riding do I do so that I don't bulk up my legs?

I am not sure that there is s such thing as a 'long lean' muscle.  The length can't change, some are just more bulky.  In any case, I would think that sprints would cause more bulking than long rides, but it is good to do some of both.  And major cyclists ride for 6+ hours a day every day.  You and I aren't going to do that, so we aren't going muscles like theirs.  You can get definition, but you aren't going to look an olympic athlete.

If by 'big legs' you mean there is a lot of fat on them, then exercise like cycling will help burn it off and give your legs a nice shape.

Cycling isnt a sport that uses a lot of muscle, ideally you should be pedalling at a higher cadence (speed of pedals) with less resistance. This is why its fat burning. Eventually after a couple of years of hills or several hours a day training you may end up with larger muscles, however if you are cycling correctly then you should never really get that 'big'.

The theory behind this is that the heart and lungs recovers faster than the muscle. If you do a ride thats 3 hours long and use only leg muscles you will cramp and slow down markedly long before the finish, however if you use a higher cadence and lesser gear then on the downhills or when you rest you will recover much faster and be good to go longer distances.

I generally agree with Velo's comments. I don't know if there is a scientific answer, but I'd guess that if you keep your cadence at or above 85 RPMs you are more likely to avoid putting on excess bulk. There are times (like on steep hills) where you will be forced to muscle it. I cycled from 13-21 (competitively from 18-20) and am getting back into the sport now. I have always had larger than normal legs, and I found, and find, that I power over hills better than otherwise similar cyclists. If your legs are already big, I don't know that cycling at any cadence will make them slimmer. If your goal is a long/lean look, then I'd suggest pilates - the pilates vendors on TV claim that it is good for that.