Eleven Minute Climb Anyone?

There are all kinds of things going on in this playlist.  First, the music is arranged by time, from shortest to longest.  You guessed it -- I used a tune by the Ramones, "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue".  We finish with an 11:30 minute rhythmic seated climb to "Leave It" by The Field.  I also experimented with the warmup sequence with good results.  I sandwiched a Mika tune between two Scissor Sisters numbers.  We start with "Filthy/Gorgeous" to warm up our legs at road resistance or a bit more so that class participants can run and/or do standing climbs.  Use "Grace Kelly" by Mika to warm up and stretch upper body.  Then finish the warmup with more leg work to "Music Is the Victim".  Let heart rates climb to say 120, then with one minute left slow things down to set the stage for the main training session.  Have fun!  Enjoy the playlist!

Kiss You Off, Blasphemy, You Blister My Paint ...

... Those are some of the titles in this interpretive and interactive playlist.  I used music that contains lines that give riding instructions.  The best example is the song "You Blister My Paint".  In it are lyrics that urge riders to go up and down.  Very good for jumps from seated to standing climb.  Lots of fun and you can call out on class participants to lead.  Pure fun!  Enjoy the playlist.

Be "Careful" or say simply "I Don't Care"

This one is great for working on leg strength.  The tempo progression from top to bottom for standing climbs is fast to slow (77-62 beats per minute).  The standing flats are slow to fast (82-110 beats per minute).  Enjoy!

Song Artist Profile Time Year

1. Alive Black Eyed Peas Warmup 5:03 2009
2. I Ain't Hiding The Black Crowes Warmup 5:54 2009
3. Sex On Fire Kings Of Leon Standing climb 3:23 2008
4. Everything A Cursive Memory Standing climb 3:21 2008
5. She's A Lady Forever The Sickest Kids Seated flat 4:00 2008
6. There's More To Me Than You Jessica Andrews Standing climb 3:46 2003
7. I Don't Care (Single Version) Fall Out Boy Standing climb 3:34 2008
8. Careful Paramore Seated flat 3:50 2009
9. Fever Cascada Standing climb 3:20 2009
10. Disturbia (Rihanna cover) The Cab Standing climb 4:01 2009
11. About A Girl The Academy Is... Seated flat 3:39 2008
12. Mama's Always On Stage Arrested Development Standing climb 3:25 1992
13. She Got Me (When She Got...) Masters of Reality Seated flat 2:47 1993
14. Your Decision Alice In Chains Cooldown 4:43 2009
15. You're Not Sorry Taylor Swift Cooldown 4:21 2008
16. Come Pick Me Up Ryan Adams Cooldown 5:18 2005
17. Quiet My Heart Brooke Barrettsmith Cooldown 4:06 2008

"Jim Dandy" of a Ride Take 2

I made changes to the previous post after riding it. I stayed in the saddle for the entire ride. Added resistance a the beginning of each song and stopped somewhere half-way and let the tempo changes take over. The playlist is arranged from slowest to fastest cadence. As a result you get to a point where you can let the tempo of the next and succeeding songs do the work of increasing heart rates without any further resistance increases. I changed the two warmup songs and substituted tunes by Information Society and Spandau Ballet. Enjoy!

Song Profile Time Artist
Yeah Warmup 4:53 Chickenfoot
Freeway Jam Warmup 4:58 Jeff Beck
Genetic Engineering Climb 3:37 Orchestral Manouevres in the Dark (OMD)
Lay All Your Love On Me Climb 3:41 Information Society
Ready For The Floor Climb 3:55 Hot Chip
Route 66 (Pcm Stereo) Climb 4:10 Depeche Mode
To cut A Long Story Short Climb 3:20 Spandau Ballet
Bad Connection Climb 3:21 Yaz
What If You Were Right The First Time? Climb 3:02 Arctic Monkeys
Cheating On You Climb 2:36 Franz Ferdinand
Porte Y Meneo Climb 3:33 Parada Joven
Everything Is Average Nowadays Seated flat 2:42 Kaiser Chiefs
Made Up My Mind Seated flat 2:58 Savoy Brown
Jim Dandy Seated flat 2:39 Black Oak Arkansas
The Abbess Of Kildare (Bridget O'Malley) Cooldown 4:44 The Paul Haslem Consort
Pilgrim Cooldown 3:10 Enya
Mr. Therapy Man (Courtesy of Coalition Entertainment Records Inc.) Cooldown 3:34 Justin Nozuka
Hold On Cooldown 5:31 Tom Waits

"Jim Dandy" of a Ride

With this playlist I plan to climb and climb. We'll get to a point where we say "no mas", start backing off on resistance and pick of the tempo. When profiled "Climb" I plan to mix and match with seated and standing climbs as well as running with resistance. On the "Seated flats" I plan to mix it up with seated and standing flats. Enjoy!

Song Profile Time Artist
All The Way Down (Single Version) Warmup 5:33 Etta James
I Miss You Warmup 4:44 Ann Peebles
Genetic Engineering Climb 3:37 Orchestral Manouevres in the Dark (OMD)
She Blinded Me With Science Climb 3:42 Thomas Dolby
Ready For The Floor Climb 3:55 Hot Chip
Route 66 (Pcm Stereo) Climb 4:10 Depeche Mode
Bad Connection Climb 3:21 Yaz
What If You Were Right The First Time? Climb 3:02 Arctic Monkeys
Cheating On You Climb 2:36 Franz Ferdinand
Porte Y Meneo Climb 3:33 Parada Joven
Everything Is Average Nowadays Seated flat 2:42 Kaiser Chiefs
Made Up My Mind Seated flat 2:58 Savoy Brown
Jim Dandy Seated flat 2:39 Black Oak Arkansas
Miyoko Seated flat 3:41 Youssou N'Dour
The Abbess Of Kildare (Bridget O'Malley) Cooldown 4:44 The Paul Haslem Consort
Pilgrim Cooldown 3:10 Enya
Mr. Therapy Man (Courtesy of Coalition Entertainment Records Inc.) Cooldown 3:34 Justin Nozuka
Hold On Cooldown 5:31 Tom Waits

Cyclists Cutting Back on Pollution

Green: How five bikers are cutting back on pollution in Vermont. Listing of the carbon dioxide being saved

Bike Tour Into Quebec's Eastern Townships

Spent Canada Day, July 1 through July 3, touring with friend David Means in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. We crossed the border at Richford, VT and proceeded north through Sutton, Lac Drome, Waterloo, Mont Orford National Park, Magog, Sherbrooke, North Hatley, Ayer's Cliff and Stanstead, Quebec. We camped in Mont Orford National Park and a private campground in Ayer's Cliff at the southern edge of Lake Massawippi. We re-entered the USA at Standstead, QC and Derby Line, VT. Once in Vermont, we took Route 105 through Newport and climbed Jay Peak. The descent was intense in the rain. We arrived back into Richford like we left it, under sunny skies. Enjoy the photo album.

May Blackflie Tour in the Adirondacks

For Memorial Day week this year, I took a six-day tour with friend Lyman Ross in the Adirondacks. Lyman has chronicled this trip nicely at crazyguyonabike.com. I'm providing a separate photo album of pictures I took during the tour. The highlight of the trip was an 80-mile ride from Stillwater Reservoir to Cranberry Lake. The "rescue" pictures are for the benefit of one of daughters who runs on a rescue squad. I will admit to needing her on the first day -- too much weight and steep climbs! Enjoy the pictures and Lyman's story.

Around the World With 14 Songs

I put together a diverse array of music using the National Geo Music site including Afro-Peruvian and Klezmer genres. Elijah Rock by the Klezmatics is particularly effective as a warmup entry. I arranged the music so that the faster tunes are at the beginning in order to finish with a nice slow steep climb (seated or standing of course). Enjoy the playlist.

Song Profile Time Artist
Elijah Rock Warmup 9:13 The Klezmatics with Joshua Nelson
Nienafing Seated flat 3:36 Rokia Traore
International Dangdut Climb 5:07 Sabah Habas Mustapha
Westbound Seated flat 3:02 Blou
Peligro Climb 4:38 Aventura
Bitter to the South Seated flat 4:08 Bhundu Boys
Rxis Climb 4:02 Cheikh Sidi Bemol
Festejo De Ritmo Seated flat 3:38 Peru Negro
Mala Mujer Climb 3:36 Aurelio Martinez
Paper Cut Seated flat 3:21 Saucetone
Relentless Climb 4:54 Paul "Snowflake" Taylor
El Nino Del Guiro Cooldown 3:56 Jose Gonzalez & Banda Cri
Echoing Cooldown 7:33 Essev Bar
Africans Unite Cooldown 3:42 Baaba Maal