Theme Ride Thursday: Winter Is Coming…to Your Ride! ❄️🚴

It seems like just yesterday we released our autumn playlist…and now here we are in early December, launching our winter playlist as we slide into the coldest, shortest, darkest days of the year. I was this close to posting that iconic Game of Thrones meme—Jon Snow’s frosty face, icy winds whipping around him, and the classic “Winter Is Coming” font—but copyright laws prevent me from doing so. Still, I bet you can see it perfectly in your mind right now…so, mission accomplished, right?

For many people, winter is a time to snuggle under the covers and hibernate—but not you, instructors, and definitely not your riders! We’ve got a sleigh-full of songs to help ease the chill and turn your wintertime rides into lively, energizing adventures. Hopefully they’ll keep your spirits high as the temps dip into single digits. (And to those of you pedaling away in sunny southern states or warm coastal countries…shhh. Not a peep!)

To help you craft the perfect wintry ride, we’ve created two bucket playlists that totally fit the chill bill:

• WINTER (~125 songs): Anything referencing the season, snow, frost, storms, and other wintry vibes.
• COLD / ICE / FROZEN (~130 songs): Songs specifically about temperature, chilliness, ice, or all things frosty.

Yes, there’s a bit of crossover—but keeping them separate means you can fine-tune your theme exactly the way you want it.

When the temperature outside drops to “Why do I live here?” levels, whip out these two bucket playlists to remind your riders how lucky they are to be inside…where the ice is only in the lyrics, not on the roads.

Another fun twist: flip winter on its head and pull out your summer profile to reminisce about warmer days. Even better—run a winter ride one week and a summer ride the next! Or try a Winter vs. Summer mashup ride: alternate sets of intervals and recoveries where both the work interval and its subsequent recovery come from the same theme—first a cold-song interval + recovery, then a hot-song interval + recovery, and keep alternating all the way through the ride. It’s a playful way to contrast energy and temperature, and your riders will love the variety.

❄️ Fun Winter and Cold-Themed Cue Ideas for Your Cycling Class
Need some frosty-fun coaching cues? Grab a handful of these and toss them into your winter ride.

• You’re riding into a headwind cold enough to freeze your eyelashes—stay tall and steady!
• Picture snowflakes hitting your face…now surge to outrun the storm!
• Smooth cadence—icy roads demand control, not chaos.
• Imagine fresh powder under your tires…add resistance and glide with control.
• Let your legs be your space heaters—warm them up with a gentle acceleration.
• Shake off the chill: 20-second push to melt the ice!
• Your breath should fog up a window—steady and warm.
• This hill is icy, but your power is fire—burn it up!
• Bundle up mentally—this next climb comes with wind chill.
• Snow day energy! Nowhere else to be but right here.
• Smile, because while you’re here inside pedaling, people out there are shoveling driveways! 

Here are some of our favorite winter and cold-themed tracks. What are your favorites? Share them in the comments!

Hazy Shade of Winter, The Bangles, 2:47, 150 bpm
Perfect for high-intensity intervals at 75 rpm. (The Simon & Garfunkel original is even shorter at 2:17 if you want a quick punch.)

One More Winter, APG, 3:47, 134 bpm
This rocker laments faking a smile for “one more winter,” but we know you and your riders can do it! Great for a progressive climb—add a gear with each verse—or stand on the chorus to heat things up.

Immigrant Song, Led Zeppelin, 2:26, 113 bpm
Any track that belts, “We come from the land of ice and snow,” must be in your winter playlist. It’s short and fierce. The tempo is tricky: try a hard climb at 56 rpm (with the option of a higher, joint-friendlier cadence for those who prefer). Or use it for surges—start somewhere in the 90s rpm, then chase the beat past 100 rpm on the chorus.

Cold Water, Major Lazer, Justin Bieber, MØ, 3:05, 93 bpm
A warm and gentle lead-in. Perfect for a warm-up or moderate flat. Bonus: our bucket playlist includes tons of remixes of this song at various tempos—slow climbs, fast climbs, or flat road, take your pick.

Cold Ain’t for Me, OCEANS, 3:25, 105 bpm
Quintessential cold-weather lyrics with a rising energy on every chorus. Ideal for a second warm-up track. Start just below moderate in the mid-80s to low 90s rpm, then surge the legs to 105 rpm at the following intervals:
• 0:55–1:13 (18s)
• 2:00–2:18 (18s)
• 2:41–3:18 (37s)

Colder Weather, Zac Brown Band, 4:33, 136 bpm
A beautiful cool-down track about being stuck in colder weather (Colorado, no less!). A great opportunity to remind your class that winter is temporary and brighter days are coming.

Ice, Ice, Baby, Vanilla Ice, 4:14, 116 bpm
No winter playlist is complete without this icy classic. Use it as a slow climb around 58 rpm, with optional leg surges of +5–10 rpm on the chorus. Scandals aside…it’s pure novelty gold.

Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow, Frank Zappa, 2:05, 140 bpm
For instructors with a sense of humor! Use this for a short recovery—it’s guaranteed to get a laugh (or at least an amused grimace) from your riders.

ICA members can find our two bucket playlists below.