Working muscles in legs when riding... which ones?

[my58vw]

Hello all,
Just had a quick question,

I have been doing alot of cross training (running and cycling) due to me needing to run as part of a PD hiring process and I notice that certain parts of my legs get sore after different excersizes, which of course seems normal. What is bothering me is that when I cycle it seems as if my calves are not even hurting (working) and my quads and hamstings are.

Does cycling build build you your caves as fast as the quads, hamstrings? Is there something that can be done to focus more on that area?

[roadbuzz]

Cycling really doesn't develop calves much. You could go to a higher gear/lower cadence (not much lower, maybe 75-85 rpm) and focus on pushing with your foot through the 1 to 5 o'clock part of each rev. You can definitely get a burn going.

[Gibbygoo]

Cycling really doesn't develop calves much. You could go to a higher gear/lower cadence (not much lower, maybe 75-85 rpm) and focus on pushing with your foot through the 1 to 5 o'clock part of each rev. You can definitely get a burn going.

I have read that mashing to big a gear can hurt your knees, so be careful.