'Will cycling change my body shape?' – you asked Google and we’ve got the answer

It's evident that cycling puts the leg muscles to work - but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll gain tree trunk pins from pedalling alone.

"It’s a leg dominant sport, so you can expect to see your legs gain definition, but training doesn't necessarily attribute itself to size in a huge magnitude. It depends on how you’re training," says Girling, who runs a coaching and nutrition company.

"Look at track cyclists, compared to road cyclists, the leg size is completely different. Top level Tour de France and WorldTour level cyclists are all very lean, typically have slimmer appendages, whereas track cyclists are stacked. That is obviously related to the kind of training that they do."

Track cyclists get their bulging muscles mostly from gym work, something some road riders still do, but usually favouring a focus on stability as opposed to lifting heavy weights for raw strength and power.

On the bike training plays a role, too: "Track cyclists will be doing hard efforts that will be sub one to four minutes, the energy system they're using and fibre type they require is one that is going to acquire more size. A bigger muscle can put out more power. But a more aerobic based muscle doesn't need power in the same sense, it needs more aerobic cells to be able to fuel the muscles for longer efforts."

If your goal is strength and power (and, yes, big legs) you'll need to hit the gym, and train like a sprinter. On the bike, things like hill sprints, where you find a hill and smash it up, or standing starts that involve sprinting from a slow speed, are great options for recruiting maximal muscle and adaptation.

If you seek a physique suited to endurance, you'll need to build up an aerobic base with plenty of long rides at relatively low intensity, to promote production of those aerobic cells and develop your cardiovascular fitness.

Regardless of your goal, a bit of gym work is a good idea for cyclists of any level.

Cycling burns calories, so it would be fair to assume it will result in weight loss. However, the calorie equation is a simple formula based on two numbers - calories in versus out, and Girling says a lot of people get this balance wrong when they start exercising.

"You tend to see that when someone does exercise, their non-exercise activity goes down, and they tend to eat more on return.

"Ultimately if you want to lose weight, you need to look at your nutrition and be in a calorie deficit. But doing so without exercise will mean you lose muscle mass. If you want to lose weight as well as shape your muscles, look better and perform better, it's best to combine the two."

Reaching a calorie deficit is easier if you're tracking what goes in versus that which is burned through exercise.

"I would suggest tracking calories – looking at how much you're eating, making sure it's accurate, and over a month you can see if your weight has changed. If your weight goes up, you're obviously eating too much."

"People don't always realise the calorie content of some foods - things like flat whites, have two or three and you've had an extra 400 calories to your day, and then maybe during cooking you've had a tea spoon of cheese, and you’ve added another 100 calories. Apps that count calories give you an awareness of what you’re eating, and some allow you to scan a barcode now which speeds things up and makes it easy."

If you're training hard, you need to ensure you're getting enough fuel. Girling suggest periodising your nutrition alongside your training. That means eating more - particularly carbs - on days when you have intense sessions, and looking to create a deficit on rest days, where you'll keep the protein high to ensure those muscles get what they need.

There is of course such a thing as a natural body type - the traditional big three are Ectomorphs, Endomorphs and Mesomorphs.

Ectomorphs are lean and often tall, and usually find it easy to lose weight. Endomorphs are larger, usually carrying more fat, and Mesomorphs typically gain muscle more easily.

In professional cycling, we're often seeing those already gifted in one direction, push themselves further that way, but there's no reason that amateurs can't also pick and chose their key pursuits based upon their genetic predisposition.

"There are exceptions to the rule, but Ectomorphs will lean towards to aerobic exercise and longer endurance based sports. Mesomorphs and Endomorphs cross over slightly, and will be more suited to strength and power sports." Girling says.

"The Mesomorph is someone who is just athletically built and will perform across the board. You will have them in cycling, some on the track, and some of the heavier Tour de France riders – maybe 80kg [male] riders who are amazing time triallists or can sit on the front and push the pace."