Profile: 1980s Rock ‘n’ Ride—Long Sweet-Spot Intervals

Welcome to another sweet-spot training session on ICA, with a twist of 1980s rock! This ride features classic tracks to energize your class (though you might debate whether the Smiths really count as “rock.” I needed a short track for a brief recovery—so here we are!). While this profile is versatile enough for year-round use, I’ve designed it as part of my Rocktober series, making it the perfect soundtrack for fall training.

For this ride, we’ll focus on the sweet spot—high Zone 3 to low Zone 4—the training zone where the magic happens. This intensity, right below threshold, strikes a perfect balance: challenging enough to stimulate fitness gains without the extreme fatigue that comes from working at threshold. Unlike pure tempo efforts that stay in Zone 3 (which you could hold for hours), sweet-spot training hits a slightly higher target intensity, ideal for shorter sessions of 45–60 minutes like indoor cycling classes. Learn more about sweet-spot training here.

Sweet-spot training requires sustained, steady efforts with minimal breaks, and it’s best done primarily in the saddle. While standing segments aren’t off-limits, you want to coach your riders to avoid spiking their heart rates or pushing themselves beyond the planned effort. Let your riders know that this session will focus more on consistent effort rather than frequent changes in position, and reassure them that they can stand briefly as needed to stay comfortable without overdoing it.

To keep things engaging, consider incorporating pedal stroke drills into your coaching. (See the profile “The Sweetest Sweet Spot” below for links to drills.) This will help riders stay focused as they power through three sweet-spot intervals ranging from 12 to 13.5 minutes. Each interval begins and ends in high Zone 3, with a slight bump to low Zone 4 in the middle. Encourage your riders to fine-tune their resistance as the cadence shifts, aiming for a target intensity between 88% and 94% of FTP. If using heart rate, remind them to stay just below lactate threshold, or use an RPE of 6 to 7 as a guide.

This profile looks like the following in the Stages Studio system. (Yellow is Zone 3, orange is Zone 4.)

Want to explore more sweet-spot training profiles? Check out these options in our ICA archives:

• The Sweetest Sweet Spot by Jennifer Sage: This page features a variety of pedal stroke drills to spice up your ride; feel free to incorporate those into this 1980s Rock ‘n’ Ride profile as well.
• That Sweet Spot by Julianne Lafleur.
• Pedaling to the Piano: Sweet-Spot Cruise Intervals by Jennifer Sage: Includes four 7- to 10-minute intervals, all set to songs with great piano segments.
• Sweet-Spot Threshold Ladder by Bill Pierce.
• RIP 2021: Long Sweet-Spot Intervals by Jennifer Sage: A tribute ride to artists lost in 2021, but perfect for any time—these songs are timeless!

Keep your riders engaged and on the edge of improvement with this rock-fueled sweet-spot profile!

Looking for even more options? Just in case you want to swap out some tracks or shorten the profile with shorter songs, I’ve got you covered. Check out the awesome bucket playlist below—over 400 rock anthems from the 1980s, all perfectly suited for the cycling studio!

Here’s how Barbara Mosser promoted this ride at her club in Colorado Springs: