One of my favorite yearly traditions is teaching a Winter Solstice ride in December, inspired by the theme of light. This profile was originally created by Shari Miranda in 2013 and has become an ICA fan favorite ever since.
Over the years, I’ve updated the ride by swapping in new songs as I discover them, but I’ve kept many of Shari’s original tracks because they are just too perfect for this ride. (Huge thanks to Shari for this!)
In 2021, both Shari and I updated our versions of this ride. That means you’ll find two Winter Solstice profiles below! Shari’s version is a long-form master class with detailed cues for each song, plus a shorter Express Profile. My version, titled “There is Light in the Dark” (based on one song’s lyrics), is available as a shorter Express Profile in Excel or Google Sheets. While both profiles share some songs, we’ve each brought our own creative spin to them, giving you multiple options for how to choreograph your ride. Be sure to print out both versions for full flexibility and extra cueing.
Bonus: Check out Shari’s note at the end of her profile! She offers the option to use the song that first inspired this ride—Let There Be Light (BT’s Pure Luminescence Remix) by Mike Oldfield and BT. It’s not on Spotify, but you can find it on YouTube, and Shari explains how to play it while teaching.
While the Winter Solstice is the perfect excuse for a light-themed ride, you can use this profile year-round. Our light-themed bucket playlist has around 245 songs, so feel free to swap out tracks as you like! The playlist is available after the profiles.
Additionally, during the pandemic’s summer of 2020, I created an inspirational ride called A Light in a Dark Place. While the songs aren’t specifically about light, you might enjoy blending this ride with some of the light-themed songs. Inspiration is always in style, and you can find the ride and playlist here, along with a bucket playlist of over 175 inspirational songs.
A note on counting jumps: Both profiles suggest longer 16-count jumps. Since people count jumps differently, we’re using one-leg revolutions (as you do when counting cadence) for slower-cadence songs. For example, a 128 bpm song is counted as 64 rpm. A 16-count jump means 16 revolutions of one leg, or 32 beats of music. So if you count both legs when counting your jumps, you’ll need to adjust accordingly—our 16-count jumps would become 32 counts for you. This still roughly equals 15 seconds at 60–64 rpm. Let me know if you have any questions!
Here are a few song suggestions for this theme:
Ray of Light, Madonna, 5:22, 127 bpm
This energetic, empowering song makes for a lively climb at 64 rpm. You can use it as a ramp climb, gradually increasing resistance over the 5 minutes or standing on the chorus for a hard effort before sitting back down on the verses. It’s also great for jumps. Both Shari and I include this track in our profiles, each with different choreography, so be sure to check out both versions. This track will always be in my Winter Solstice profile!
Nova, VNV Nation, 6:05, 100 bpm
This beautiful song is a new addition to our bucket playlist (November 2024). It has a high cadence, but you can use it as a warm-up, beginning at a lower cadence and gradually increasing as the legs become ready. If your class is good at maintaining that cadence for 6 minutes, use it as an endurance or tempo track. Another way to use it is as a second song with two progressively longer high-cadence intervals. Start with an easy pace, then pick up the cadence for the first effort at 1:26–2:24 (~1 minute). After a brief recovery, pick it up again for a longer second effort at 3:06–5:36 (1 minute 30 seconds).
The lyrics are perfect for this theme:
Shine, shine your light on me
Illuminate me, make me complete
Lay me down, and wash this world from me
Open the skies, and burn it all away
Cause I’ve been waiting, all my life just waiting
For you to shine, shine your light on me
Blinding Lights, The Weeknd, 3:20, 86 bpm
A popular track perfect for a warm-up, moderate-tempo interval, or as a flat between hard climbs. Gradually increase the intensity from an easy downhill to a moderate flat to the base of your next climb. How do you use this fun track in your ride?
We the Light, Yusef Jackson, 2;01, 87 bpm
A delightful recovery song with a hip-hop vibe, perfect for catching your breath.
The Light, Sara Bareilles, 4:23, 123 bpm
A beautiful cool-down song (dissociate from the beat). It’s a lovely way to end your ride on a peaceful note.