We all rely on music as a tool. Tools are used for building things and it's common to describe our practice of creating profiles as; “I'm building my class”. Most of us put a bunch of effort into; “building our playlist”. Track selection is often by BPM or song length. We categorize and file/store our music in ways designed make the selection quicker and easier, i.e. flats, climbs, etc…
In my workshop at home I do the same thing. I have a big tool box with a bunch of drawers. Each drawer has a specific type of tool (sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers), many are arranged by size (1/4″, 1/2″, 10mm, 14mm), or purpose (Phillips Head, Straight Blade, Allen Head).
I'm a self-professed “Tool Guy” – Tim Taylor was one of my favorite TV characters of all time. Tim understood it's “all about the tools”. My Grandfather was often accused (by his wife) of “spending 5 hours to design and build a tool that would save him 2 minutes, on a job he'd only do once.” So I come by this naturally 🙂 Whenever I need to build/fix/repair or create something the first thing I do is find the tools I'll need for the job. And no, I'm not beyond spending an afternoon/day/month designing a tool to solve some problem I'm having. Case in point is my Red Pedal Tool for studios using the red Schwinn triple link pedals. That took about a year from start, to a finished product.
My class preparation probably isn't much different from yours [wlm_firstname]. I start with a basic “plan” and then I select different tracks based on their value as a tool; “I need a 6 minute song @ 150 BPM for this climb I have planned” isn't any different from; “I need a 14mm end-wrench to remove the lawnmower blade, so I can sharpen it”.
The resulting playlist is very functional, very Indoor Cycling 2.0. But I'm learning can also be a bit sterile – dare I say soulless?
This morning a long-time member said hello to me, as I was leaving the club after my 6:00 am class. Her comment stopped me in my tracks; “I so wish IÂ had taken your class this morning John… everyone was saying how great the music was”.
That's not something I hear very often, to be truthful, almost never. What was different this morning? I didn't use a playlist of my own creation. In fact the playlist I used didn't even fit what I had planned. The BPM was all wrong, efforts started in the middle of the songs – and often continued through track changes. There was nothing right about any of it (Rick Springfield?) – the musical equivalent of using a butter knife instead of a proper screwdriver… and yet they loved it.
Taking a break from endlessly waiting on hold with multiple service providers, I scrolled through “My Tags” on Shazam. You may enjoy these two:
Cracker — Low is a great flat @ 86 rpm that you could squeeze between to climbs. It worked for me last night 🙂
Switchfoot — The Sound [John M. Perkins' Blues] is fast, 104 rpm that (it you time the transition) you can use to signal a downhill breakaway that starts with someone jumping at the summit. I've been having fun working my class at a set wattage, cuing changes in load and cadence at different points to retain that big number!
A flat road speed play is on the playlist for this week’s class. Coming in at 96 rpm’s and 3:03, it is great for a breakaway anytime you’d like to slip one in your profile.
There is a nice build from :35 to: 43 that is fun to use to cue building up leg speed and taking off, out of the saddle with your class.
Here is Erin McCarley, from Nashville (originally from SanDiego) and ‘Just Another Day’ from her second album released in 2012- My Stadium Electric.
I you have a Monday 5/27 class somewhere in the USA – there's a good chance it will be cancelled for the holiday. If that's the case, be sure to get outside and enjoy your day off 🙂
Tuesday will be back to work – and you'll have a bunch of participants who will be eager to burn off a few of the Johnsonville brats they consumed (in quantity) the day before.
Don't know Johnsonville brats? They are a year round staple food for Wisconsinites or temporary college residents and a mandatory item on any Memorial Day menu here in the frozen north.
Even though they are technically bratwurst, these are nothing like those disgusting milky-white things your mother used to bring home and cook under the broiler. These are brats and they're awesome!
John's recipe for Johnsonville brats.
Cooking Johnsonville brats is a day-long, near zen-like experience. Similar to preparing a Thanksgiving dinner, but more fun cause you need to be in the right frame of mind to both prepare and then properly cook them 🙂
Empty shelves Saturday AM – what I was afraid of and it took 3 stops before I found my brats.
2 (or more) Original Johnsonville brat party packs. ONLY THE ORIGINAL VERSION!!! The only acceptable option is the Beer'n Brat which they make for people who don't have all day and need to get them on the grill ASAP. If you get to the store and find they are sold out of the original, don't be tempted to use any of the other flavored varieties. Better to go hungry or settle for hamburgers.
2 (or more) large white onions, cut into quarters.
1 (or more) 24 packs* of your favorite Wisconsin beer. My personal favorite is Leinenkugel's or Lienie's as we call it around here.
Real bakery brat buns – NOT HOTDOG BUNS! There is a difference.
Early in the morning, cube the onions and place in a large stock pot.
Add the brats.
Add enough beer to float the brats, reserving 1/2 of each bottle for the cook. It's going to be a long day, so pace yourself by limiting your alcohol consumption to just 1/2 a Lienie's at a time.
Bring to a roaring boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and let cook for 4 (or more) hours. Occasionally lift the lid and breath in the heavenly vapors with anticipation of what's to come.
Grill over direct heat for about 10 (or more) minutes, turning frequently. Have a water bottle handy to control the inevitable grease fire as these babies cook up. I forgot to add; wear an apron, or an old shirt, cause these things have a tendency to explode/spurt at you while you're enjoying watching them cook. I don't think it's possible to overcook a brat, so leave them on until they split and a bit burnt.
Serve on toasted brat buns with your favorite brown mustard. My favorite is Cleveland Stadium Mustard.
But keep the sauerkraut away. That stuff is really disgusting.
*Some areas of Northern Wisconsin call these “a suitcase” and the store clerk may become confused and offer you two 12 packs if you ask for a 24 pack.
Getting back on the Free Music Friday track… I really enjoyed my time recording with Dunte Hector this week. Did I mention that he's only 23 years old? I subscribed to Dunte on Spotify and have been listening to his playlists. This track Alex Clare — Relax My Beloved jumped out a very powerful track that I could see using to get everyone establishing “Big Pedals” at the early stage of a climb. Big Pedals @ 63 RPM that I'll we'll then excelerate to ~ 80 RPM and sustain for however long it takes to reach the top.
Who was it that decided climbing songs should be slow?
If I tried to stay with the group I ride with on a long climb, grinding along at 60 RPM, I'd be off the back (and on my own) in no time flat.
Sure a climb should make you struggle to turn the pedals – but to replicate an actual climb outdoors, might I suggest having everyone maintain their cadence in the 80s? Or at least the high 70s?
I've been keeping track of rider's cadences during our group rides, especially when the grade turns positive. Anyone who appears strong is spinning smoothly at 75 RPM or more. The grinders hang on for a little while… just a little, before their leg muscles fatigue and someone ends up waiting at the top – to help them catch back on.
Bicycles have gears for a reason. My new VeloVie has 20 to choose from. How I decide which gear to be in is simple…
I select the gear that allows me to maintain my prefered cadence of ~85 to 95 RPM.Â
Going up, down or on a flat I'm continuously shifting to keep my pedals in this RPM range. The one exception would be on a long downhill where I will have shifted down to the point where I'm pushing a huge gear at ~ 60 RPM. The exact opposite of conventional thinking.
The typical rookie mistake on the road is to wait to shift until the road literally forces you to do something. They're pedalling merrily along during the beginning of the climb, with their cadence slowly decaying and forward momentum slowing. That is until someone stuck behind them (that would be me) yells SHIFT. By that point the damage is done and they've lost touch with the wheel they were following. Riders behind (again me) are forced to pass them and fight to close the gap before we (once more me) get dropped as well.
A more experienced cyclist will respond instantly to the feel of the road pushing back against their pedals and shift gears. Same with any feeling that their legs are tiring and starting to slow. Shifting to maintain or increase cadence moves the production of work from fatigued legs, up to your (hopefully) less stressed cardiovascular system.
Todays free track is at a very powerful 85 RPM – but it's not a flat. Try coaching this as a climb. If you're riding a magnet cycle have everyone add load at 70 RPM until they feel the need to stand > then accelerate to the music's 85 RPM.
Friction folks will have participants find the tempo and then add the hill while staying with the music.
In either case, cuing everyone; “if you're feeling a burning in your legs > you're doing it right :)” “No burning? Then you're not keeping up, slipping off the back and you will be riding home alone!”
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/1134276″ iframe=”true” /] Â Â
When I click on the links nothing happens as I try to bring the playlists into Spotify. I also clicked on each person's name/profile but Spotify says they are unknown user?
Please help, I think I'm way off. I'm still trying to learn this app. Also, in order to take advantage in my class, I have to get a Premium account to stream through my iPhone right?
Thanks!
My response:
Hi –Â I'll try to help.
Yes you need a Spotify premium account to use your iPhone. You can get a free 30 day trial to see if Spotify is right for you.
There's a setting in Spotify that maybe preventing this.Â
Open Spotify – Up at the top go to Edit > Preferences > and then scroll down to Open Spotify automatically and check the Allow Spotify to be started from the web box.
Let me know if that solves it 🙂
John
P.S. You'll notice that I have the Don't Open Automatically box ticked. That setting prevents Spotify from opening on computer startup, but doesn't prevent Spotify from opening if you click a track or playlist link.
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Do you ever Shazam a track and then forget about it… only to be pleasantly surprised to find it later in our tagged lists?
I remembered to check this morning and here's what I found:
Lissie — Go Your Own Way is a cover of Fleetwood Mac's well known hit. I'd never heard of Lissie before – a powerful message that screams TURN IT UP as you cue a breakaway during a long climb that could begin with Lissie — Nothing Else Matters 🙂
