[BrianSCohen]

Ronin,

I don't think it is all about mass, it is about strength. Mass comes along with strength, they are not one to one but correlated. As a cyclist, you exert yourself on each pedal stroke. If you are stronger, you exert yourself less for the same output. Weight training for lower body should carryover to better cycling performance.

On the other side, I have to ask you whether you have reached a point where cycling is still challenging your body? Are your workouts intense enough or have enough volume that your body is adapting and you are getting stronger and more fit? Often sports like cycling require extreme training regimes to spurn improvement. Weight training has an easily controlled stimulus for improvement.

Lance Armstrong uses weight training, using low reps and high weights in the off season. He shifts to higher reps to get more specific performance. I don't think most would ever consider the high number of reps you perform. Using just a bowflex to build lower body strength is limited. Leg presses are ok, but you really need a lot more weight. Have you considered squats? They are a great compound exercise and can really build up your legs and glutes.

If you really want to try weight training, the way to approach it is to perform sets with good form in the 8-12 rep range. When you can complete 12 reps, increase the weight. You can get expansion rods for your bowflex, but you will likely find even with one leg on the leg press, that you quickly exceed the available resistance.

While I agree with you that bigger is not necessarily better for a cyclist or an endurance runner, surely stronger is better. Clearly if you lost bodyfat, but left everything else unchanged, you would also be a better cyclist. Best of luck.