This playful and energetic ride from our archives (2011!) is the perfect way to kick off summer—or to daydream about the beach when the weather isn’t cooperating. It’s ideal for celebrating the end of the school year, the start of vacation, or anytime you want to bring a little sunshine into your studio. And if your riders are in the middle of a long winter? This profile makes an excellent escape to warmer vibes.
The recovery songs are all surf-era classics, with that upbeat, feel-good vibe that’s synonymous with summer. One of the beauties of this genre is that many of these songs sit right in the sweet spot for a fast flat—typically around 160–170 bpm, or 80–85 rpm.
The ride begins with a warm-up that includes some gentle leg accelerations to get your riders ready for the effort ahead. Then it’s on to eight intervals, each 3 to 5 minutes long. The first one acts as an extension of the warm-up—use it to build gradually to the desired intensity. Starting with the second interval, you’ll push to near or just over threshold, with some intervals driving above threshold, into very hard. I’ve alternated slower, strength-focused intervals with faster ones to keep things fresh and challenging.
Take note of interval #7—it’s set to a song with a cadence of 110 rpm. That’s quite fast for most riders to maintain with good form. If your class is ready for it (due to your fine coaching!), go for it. Otherwise, scale it by riding the verses at a more manageable 85–90 rpm and using the chorus for quick leg surges to above 100 rpm.
The full profile is below. Have fun with it—maybe even go all-in on the theme with a Hawaiian shirt, beach hat, and shades. Just save the flip-flops for après ride!
Taught this profile a couple days ago and really enjoyed it! Great workout and some of the music was new to me so expanding my tastes a little challenging me to step outside that comfort zone! Thanks!
I’ve taught this one several times at different facilities over the last few weeks, it’s from the 2011 version you previously shared. I tell them we are working on the reverse psychology of a ‘Rain Dance’ in that we are trying to encourage the sun to come out of hiding and stick around for a while. At the end of class I tell them if that day, or the next day depending when I teach the class, is sunny then the credit is ours but if it is grey and rainy then it’s not our fault, nobody saw us and nothing can be proved but we gave it our best shot. 😉
This profile always goes down well and gets them smiling. I did change a couple of the tracks and I’ve included ‘Summer Nights’ from the movie Grease in there near the end and I warn them we have a real cheesy summer song coming up but it never fails to raise a smile and give them a lift.
I love it Neil! “reverse psychology of a rain dance”!
There are sometimes when cheesy songs bring out the biggest smiles! Especially a song every one can identify with. =)
Hi Juliepp,
How many students were in the class? Could be that the only ones who said anything were the ones who didn’t like it – others might have really enjoyed it but not said anything. I find that is often the case. Or perhaps it was the age of your students? Either way, I am surprised because there is some variety with the 80’s (Wang Chung, Don Henley, Katrina and the Waves) and the 60’s, but maybe they just don’t like the surfin sounds of the 60-‘s. But hey, most of those are so very short and were mostly used for the recovery segments.
I could see saying something if this is all an instructor played every time, but when it’s obviously a special theme ride, then I’m surprised when people make those comments. Or, they can say, “great class! I wouldn’t want to hear that music every time, but I enjoyed it anyway.”
Regardless, the important thing to remember is that no matter how hard we try, it’s impossible, absolutely impossible, to please everyone – and music is one of those things that is especially hard to please everyone. And trying to do so will only drive you crazy and will make it less fun for you. So if you enjoyed it, and you put a lot of time into it and you know it was a good workout, then you have succeeded. Try not to let those few people get you down!
I like to do theme rides like this every once in a while and my students know they aren’t always serious and sometimes laugh at the music, maybe roll their eyes on occasion! But, if the music for THAT particular ride isn’t their favorite, at least they know it’s part of the big variety I try to offer, and they also know what my more typical music choices are which most of them really enjoy the more electronic/world/trance music I use because it matches the emotion and purpose of my ride.
I taught this ride this morning and it was really a fun class to teach! Outside it was cloudy and cold (45 degrees) – and around here (as I think many places in the US) we are really tired of this wet, chilly spring, so music of sun and surf was the perfect medicine. One couple – John and Debbie – brought in their visiting son and daughter-in-law from California, so it was even more apropos. The songs brought back some memories for John who grew up in California in the 60’s. When the first surfing classic song, Pipeline, started playing, John rolled his eyes and said, “1969, Huntington Beach pier! Ah man what a day!”
At the end of class he said, “I’m still at the Huntington Beach pier in my head. Thanks!”
I hope you all have as much fun teaching this as I did. 🙂
Thanks Jennifer. I am teaching a 90 minute memorial day ride. I had announced to the group that it would be summer music. Thanks for the ideas. It will make my job that much easier! Have a wonderful holiday!
This is Great stuff, I am working on my Memorial Day ride now
I am taking my riders down a fast highway to the Beach.
Then the party begins.