After Halloween, Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite seasonal theme rides for my indoor cycling classes. There are so many options for songs, whether you do a full-on love fest, or go the “Cupid is stupid” anti-Valentine’s route. Or, use one of our more targeted playlists with just the word “heart” or “heartbreak” or “kiss.”
Here at ICA, we’ve got five varied and fun Valentine’s Day profiles for you to play with. I’ve always wanted to create an interactive version of “He loves me, he loves me not” based on the same principle I use in my favorite Halloween profile, “Trick or Treat.” In that profile, I write all the drills down on index cards and have my riders pick them out of a “trick-or-treat” bag during a recovery song prior to doing the drill. Granted, it takes a lot of preparation to organize and lay out the music so it can be easily selected once your rider has picked the drill, but it’s so much fun it’s worth the work! (And fortunately, I’ve done all that work for you!)
This was probably the most time-consuming profile I’ve done in years (12+ hours), not just perfecting the drills but finding the perfect songs and the right mood. I tell you, it was a labor of love (pun intended)! There are seven drills matched with love and heartache songs.
Instead of index cards and a trick-or-treat bag, I cut petals out of construction paper to create my “daisy” and wrote the drills on the back. During each recovery song, I’ll pick a rider to select the next drill as if picking a petal off the daisy to find out your destiny of love or heartbreak.
When the drill is over and it’s time to pick the next one, I’ll toss the petal to the floor (melodramatically) where I will have scattered extra petals around the instructor’s bike.
Once again, I’ve done all the hard work for you by laying it out step by step. I think you’re going to love this profile! Download the PDF and Excel sheet for the profile below.
Please let me know in the comments if you enjoy this profile and what your riders think. I’d like to know if you think the playlist rocks as much as I do—I used songs that were just released this month along with some older classics, so it should appeal to everyone!
EDIT 2025: Here is how I introduced this ride this year!
“Welcome to ‘He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not’—the Valentine’s ride where your fate is in the petals!
Well, today, we’re taking that drama and putting it on the bike!
petals to reveal our destiny: “Loves Me” means we’re doing that drills to a love song, smooth and sweet…
“Loves Me Not” means we’re going full heartbreak mode—angsty, powerful, and probably fueled by bad decisions.
No matter what, you’re getting a killer workout and a playlist that’s as unpredictable as love itself.
So clip in, embrace the mystery, and let’s see if Cupid’s on our side—or if we’re burning his love letters by the end of class!”
Here is my promo for my ride:
I often feel picky about music selections, but it shows that you put a lot of time into it! I can’t wait to try this tomorrow and the playful nature is right up my alley. Would you have any suggestions for subbing Smashmouth though? I had a hard time with the curse words, but still get the message across.
Yes, this one took a LOT of time!
I just taught it at a noon class and will teach it again tonight. “Pet Names” by Smashmouth is *chef’s kiss* perfect for this ride! Sure, it’s a harsh anti-Valentine’s track, but it works. Have them listen to the lyrics and laugh. There is only one “sh*t” in it. You can gloss over it or announce in advance that there’s a little cursing in there but we’ve all been there when talking about our ex I’m sure! 😉
If you can’t have any expletives where you teach and want to replace it, use the song “Nobody to Love” as a fast flat at 102 bpm. It’s the same length. It’s currently the recovery song for the “Don’t Leave Me This Way” drill but works great for this fast flat drill. Then find another short recovery anti-love song to replace that one. Look at the Anti-Valentine’s playlist and sort by length and look for a short song. Here are three options for that: “Where Did Our Love Go” by the Supremes, “Gotta Get Through This” by Daniel Bedingfeld or “I Don’t Wish You Were Dead Anymore” by Bowling for Soup.
Hope that helps!