February is National Heart Month, and the first Friday of the month marks National Wear Red Day—a day to rock your boldest red attire and shine a spotlight on heart disease, a leading cause of death worldwide. Why not bring this meaningful cause into your cycling classes with a vibrant, heart-focused theme ride?
It’s the perfect pairing: February, the month of love, Valentine’s Day, and red hearts, combined with the life-saving awareness efforts of organizations like the American Heart Association and Heart and Stroke Association. Together, they remind us that heart disease and stroke don’t take a break—but neither do we when we’re on the bike!
Cycling is a love letter to your heart. It’s one of the best ways to strengthen your cardiovascular system, boost endurance, and foster long-term health. With heart disease as the top global killer, you can inspire your riders to pedal with purpose this month—turning every class into a celebration of heart health and a commitment to fitness.
To help you put together an unforgettable playlist, we’ve got two bucket playlists ready for you:
- A HEART playlist with over 280 songs to keep your riders inspired and in rhythm.
- A COLORS playlist featuring nearly 500 songs, many of which highlight the color red—perfect for your Wear Red Day rides.
💡 Here’s a fun idea…have your riders wear red to class and transform the studio into a sea of energy and passion. Want to add a little friendly competition? Offer a prize for the most creative red outfit or bring in red lights to set the mood!
Below are some of our favorite songs that celebrate the heart and the bold color red. 🎶 Let us know in the comments if you’ve got any must-add tracks we may have missed—we ❤️ hearing from you!
Heart of Glass, Blondie, 4:12, 115 bpm
This heart-themed banger isn’t just a vibe—it’s your ticket to skyrocketing your heart rate with some killer HIIT intervals!
Achy Breaky Heart, Billy Ray Cyrus, 3:23, 122 bpm
Break your heart on a climb! How much resistance can you add on at 61 rpm?
Break Your Heart, Taio Cruz, 3:21, 122 bpm
Here’s another track to get your heart pumping during a challenging climb at 61 bpm.
Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, Elton John & Kiki Dee, 4:35, 131 bpm
This song will get everyone moving. Use this song on a climb at 66 rpm and use the intervals to increase effort at 0:45–1:15 (30s), 1:05–2:35 (30s), and 3:10–4:10 (60s).
Tearin’ Up My Heart, NSYNC, 3:29, 110 bpm
This is an ideal flat-road track to elevate your heart rate with every interval at 1:01–1:18 (17s), 2:02–2:20 (18s), and 2:55–3:22 (27s).
Heartbeat Song, Kelly Clarkson, 3:19, 149 bpm
This is a heart-pumping, moderate climb with intervals designed to strengthen your heart. Start on a moderate hill in Zone 3 at 75 rpm, then add resistance and surge the legs to Zone 5 or Zone 6 on the intervals at 0:53–1:18 (25s), 1:45–2:10 (25s), and 2:38–3:03 (25s).
Red Rain, Peter Gabriel, 5:40, 113 bpm
An awesome second warm-up track to fire up your legs with some quick leg surges!
Little Red Corvette, Prince, 3:08, 123 bpm
Is there anything more iconic than a red Corvette? Picture yourself cruising up a mountain at 62 rpm as you power through with leg surges. Start in Zone 3 and surge the legs +10 rpm to above threshold where it starts to burn at 0:46–1:02 (16s), 1:33–2:05 (32s), and 2:20–2:55 (35s).
Red (Taylor’s Version), Taylor Swift, 3:43, 125 bpm
Crush that climb—feel the burn at 63 rpm!
Red, Red Wine, UB40, 3:03, 89 bpm
Starting strong with a good warm-up is key to an amazing ride, and choosing the right opening track can set the tone for the whole session. This song, at 89 bpm, is the perfect pick to kick things off!
99 Red Ballons, Nena, 3:50, 97 rpm
Ride a flat road to the beat at 97 rpm, gradually increasing resistance as you go. How many resistance levels can you add while maintaining your cadence?
Lady in Red, Chris de Burgh, 4:16, 154 bpm
An ideal track for cooling down, offering the perfect moment to talk about the significance of wearing red to raise awareness for National Heart Month and National Wear Red Day.
ICA members can access the two large bucket playlists below.