“Indoor Cycling Tidbits” is a monthly resource for indoor cycling instructors. For more info on what it’s all about, click here.
This ranks as one of my all time fave cycling songs. I mean, there’s the 80’s connection (about which I will be hopelessly and forever biased,) the driving beat that’s techno – but the fun, happy kind of techno without inducing a headache, it has built in cues such as “Prepare yourself!”, “Are you ready?!”, and “5,4,3,2,1!” But, the best part….guys and gals….the best part…..it’s the kind of beat that insists your feet stay with it! And the song is 140 bpm, so your legs will feel compelled to stay at a nice and steady 70rpm climb!
Couple notes about this profile:
- I rarely include sprints on a hill in my sessions. It is an advanced riding technique and not all your participants will be up for the task. (Refer to the Spinning® manual for the ins and outs of teaching Sprints on a Hill.) When I use this profile I always preface (at the beginning of the song) that there will be a 14-second sprint during this climb but I remind them that it is OPTIONAL.” Then at the 3 minute mark I cue them it will be coming up soon and get them set up for it.
- This profile – without the sprint – is actually a good one to use near the beginning of your ride because it can introduce a standing climb and allows plenty of time to get acclimated to the position. The increase in resistance at the 1:50 mark is a good chance for new riders to experiment with what load they can handle while still maintaining a safe climbing cadence and to understand how the feeling of resistance changes as they go from seated to standing climbs. If you do use this at the beginning of the ride, simply substitute the sprint with a slight cadence increase of 3-5 rpm.
- If you push them to maintain a strong output until the very last dramatic beat, they will need a recovery song afterward.
- Keep that in mind when putting together your playlist. Nick Skitz has several remixes of this song. If you want to use my notes exactly be careful to select the exact remix I notate.
For the link to printer-friendly notes, start here.
Looking for another mixed climb profile? Check out this one, or this one.
