From the archives…
Richard Mullins is an ICA member from Ireland whose passion for teaching is contagious! Who better to create an Irish-themed profile than a blue-blooded Irishman with passion? I know you’re going to enjoy this fun interval profile built around events that catapulted Ireland to the global stage, including many sporting references. Read more…
REPOST from the archives: Sweet Poison represents a box of Valentine’s chocolates. This profile riffs on Jennifer’s Trick or Treat Halloween ride but, in this case, after selecting a song it will be up to each student to design an activity for the class. In doing so they will have to take into account their knowledge, personal preferences, and the reactions of the other students. You AND your students will be taking some risks with this profile…but isn’t that what love means as well?Read more…
I woke up one morning and the thought hit me: “There are so many great songs on the ICA website submitted by master instructors; I should build a profile solely from this music library.”
As is customary at the beginning of the year, I build four profiles for the purpose of delivering base conditioning to my riders. Next up on the docket was a leg speed and technique workout, so I dug into all the great music contributions to create this profile.Read more…
We first posted this Super Bowl profile from ICA contributor Kala Markel in 2012 and have had so many comments and e-mails about how much fun it is to teach and how much students enjoy it. Now you have TWO great Super Bowl profile options!Read more…
You want a Super Bowl profile to end all Super Bowl profiles? This exhilarating profile will have your riders dreaming of that Super Bowl ring, even if their own teams didn’t make it to the championship game. You will alternate from offense to defense, with different goals each time. Read more…
Oh no! Santa’s reindeer are sick! So you come to the rescue and ride up to the North Pole to pull his sleigh. It’s a secular concept with less-than-traditional-but-still-holiday music selections, so it is a great way to inject some holiday spirit without offending anyone or boring them with overplayed holiday tunes.Read more…
Many folks mistake speed and pedal-stroke work as only beneficial for those who ride actual bikes outdoors. This is not the case. Although it is a popular understanding that higher leg speeds produce greater power (force X velocity = power), there are also mechanical and neuromuscular benefits for everyone.Read more…
In order to prepare for the lung-burning intervals our riders know and love, some conditioning is needed. In addition to aerobic conditioning, the muscles of the legs need to be ever ready and everlasting. Here is the first of two profile outlines on leg muscle conditioning—muscular endurance.Read more…
I hope you enjoyed the video of how I present the reset to my classes (I use the last example, of course). What I realize is I have the benefit of knowing exactly what this reset actually looks like in terms of profiles. In order to give you this benefit and resulting confidence, I’m going to provide an outline of five profiles I use during the first three months of the year. Here is the first profile outline: Aerobic Conditioning.Read more…
This particular ride is written to be performed as much as it is to be coached. The instructor takes the position as a guide on a Haunted Bike Tour past a graveyard, through Halloween Town, into the woods, past a second graveyard, and concludes with a steep ascent to Dracula’s castle. The more theatrical—the better! Might I suggest ridiculous glasses or a witch/mad hatter hat…and a fog machine?Read more…