More formally, chiroplasty, or cheiroplasty, is a term which refers to plastic surgery of the hands. The term combines root word chir(o), which means hand, and the suffix -plasty, which means surgical repair.
(How Do Your Muscles Work continued) Thousands of thin spaghetti-like fibers make up muscle tissue. These fibers receive messages from the brain, causing the fibers to contract. The main muscles at work in cycling are the quadriceps and hamstrings in the upper leg, and the gastrocnemius and soleus in the calf. These muscles contract in a sequence that creates the pedaling action. The quadriceps and hamstrings do most of the work when you ride a bicycle.
Photo Credit kzenon/iStock/Getty Images. The exact amount of calories you burn during one hour of biking depends on your starting weight. The more you weigh, the greater the number of calories you expend. A person who weighs 160 pounds will burn about 288 calories in one hour of cycling at a leisurely pace.