🚴‍♀️ Theme Ride Thursday: End of the World Day (May 21) 🌍💥

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Grab your helmets and your sense of humor—because it’s the end of the world…again. Or not.

May 21 is End of the World Day, and we’re riding straight into the apocalypse—indoor cycling–style. This day marks one of the most memorable doomsday flops in recent history: Harold Camping’s 2011 Rapture prediction. (Spoiler alert: We’re still here, Harold. You clocked out in 2013—guess you got tired of being wrong. Hope the afterlife is more accurate than your predictions.)

Of course, Harold wasn’t the first or the last to get it wrong. History is riddled with failed prophecies and ominous forecasts that fizzled:

  • The 1524 global flood that didn’t materialize.

  • The 1910 panic over Halley’s Comet (people bought comet-proof umbrellas).

  • Y2K, 2012 Mayan calendar madness, asteroid after asteroid that didn’t crash.

  • Even a Norse mythology apocalypse predicted for 2014 (Ragnarök is still pending).

You’d think by now we’d stop believing, but there’s always another “expert” forecasting humanity’s finale. So naturally, we ride.

At ICA, we’ve leaned into the apocalyptic fun before:

Now it’s your turn. Use Lisa’s profile, build your own storyline, or tap into our END OF THE WORLD / APOCALYPSE Bucket Playlist with over 230 songs to mix and match for the perfect end-is-nigh energy. Zombies? Aliens? The Illuminati? Pick your favorite demise.

Whether you’re planning a full doomsday ride or just want to toss in a few apocalyptic anthems for flair, our bucket playlist has plenty of songs to choose from—enough to survive multiple predictions. Good thing, too. There’s always someone out there preparing for asteroid strikes, the Illuminati uprising, or a rogue lunar eclipse.

đź’ˇ Upcoming Wackadoodle Predictions You Could Ride To:

  • May 2026: Based on some interpretations of biblical numerology…the next Rapture might totally be real this time.

  • 2029: Asteroid Apophis (named after an Egyptian god of chaos) might have a very slim chance of ruining your spring break.

  • 2044: Some followers of Nostradamus have circled this as our due date. Note that other followers of Nostradamus argue it’s much later, so it all gets a bit confusing!

  • Any day ending in Y: According to conspiracy forums, the next big one is always just around the corner. That’s what makes this theme good for any time of the year!

🚨 How to Build a Ride Worthy of the Apocalypse 🚨

This is a ride that invites you to lean into your inner storyteller. Channel your most entertaining doomsday prophet, throw in a few conspiracy theories for flair, and take your riders on a journey through asteroids, raptures, rogue planets, and apocalyptic party playlists. Keep the tone light, the humor tongue-in-cheek, and remember—you’re not just pedaling through the end times, you’re narrating them. A touch of existential dread? Optional. Fun? Mandatory.

Use music to paint the emotional highs and lows of the apocalypse: the anticipation, the panic, the disbelief, the catharsis…and the celebration when we all realize we’re still here (again). Our End of the World / Apocalypse bucket playlist features 235 songs spanning a wide range of themes, vibes, genres, and lyrics to help you set that scene and craft your perfect narrative arc. The songs highlighted below will help get you started.

🎤 Set the Stage (and the End Times): Opening & Closing Cues

▶️ Opening Cue: Welcome to the End

🎙️ [Spoken over a suspenseful intro track like “Waiting for the End” by Linkin Park or an upbeat “It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over” by Lenny Kravitz]

All right, everyone, I hope you’re ready—because today could be it. The end. The grand finale. The Big One. At least…according to a few very confident (and now very quiet) doomsday prophets. But don’t worry—we’ve survived the Mayan calendar, Y2K, Harold Camping’s 2011 prediction, and even that one guy on YouTube with a whiteboard and zero credentials.

So in honor of all the failed forecasts and almost-apocalypses, we’re going to ride through the end of the world—again! We’ll panic pedal away from meteors, climb through chaos, and maybe, just maybe…party like it’s our last day on Earth. Spoiler alert: it’s not. But hey, it’s more fun if we pretend.

And you know what? If it does end today, at least we can say we went down pedaling.

⏹️ Closing Cue: Still Standing (Again)

🎙️ [Spoken over a cool-down track like “If I Should Die Tonight” by Marvin Gaye or “Those Were the Days” by Mary Hopkin]

Well…we made it. Again. No asteroids, no rapture, no sudden UFO invasions or mythical beasts emerging from the sea. Turns out, once more, the world did not end—but we did sweat like it might, amiright?

So here’s to surviving yet another doomsday prediction, and to the next one…because let’s be honest, someone out there is already scribbling a
calendar circle around 2036 or 2044.

Until then, keep pedaling like it’s your last day on Earth—just in case.

🎶 Songs for the End (and Beyond)

Those Were the Days, Mary Hopkin, 5:10, 88 bpm
Warm-up or pre-/post-class song to set the mood. Look back wistfully before the chaos begins. Or rewind time after it’s all over.

It’s the End of the World As We Know It, R.E.M., 4:07, 103 bpm
Fast flat. Pure chaos in song form. Run from the meteor!

We Are Alive, Paul Van Dyk, 6:30, 140 bpm
Long climb. The post-apocalypse victory song. We made it!

Party at the End of the World, The Passengers, 2:39, 91 bpm
Quick, fast push. If we’re going out, we’re going out partying.

Waiting for the End, Linkin Park, 3:51, 85 bpm
Moderate flat. Suspenseful vibes, great for a steady build.

Today is the End, Ozzy Osbourne, 4:06, 88 bpm
Hard surges. Lean into the heavy-metal dread—then power through it.

Time is Running Out, Muse, 3:56, 118 bpm
Slow, hard climb. Desperation has a beat, and it’s perfect for pushing the pedals.

I’m a Believer, The Monkees, 2:47, 82 bpm
Recovery. Are you a believer…in alien invasions? No judgment.

It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over, Lenny Kravitz, 4:02, 160 bpm
Warm-up or moderate to hard flat. Because let’s be honest—if you’re still riding, it ain’t over.

The Final Countdown, Europe, 5:10, 117 bpm
Epic slow climb. The mothership is descending, and this synth intro means it’s go-time. Stand up on the chorus and ride like it’s your last.

If I Should Die Tonight, Marvin Gaye, 4:00
Cool-down. Smooth soul for the final ride down the mountain.

Whether you’re escaping an asteroid or doing your final sprint through the gates of Valhalla, this is a theme ride idea that lets you mix humor, storytelling, and music with just enough existential dread to keep things spicy.

Because if it is our last class on Earth…let’s make it legendary and ride like there’s no tomorrow…again! 🚴‍♀️🌍🔥

ICA members can check out the bucket playlist with ~235 songs below.

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