Twin Peaks is a nod to the mountain stages of the Tour de France Femmes, celebrating with three challenging climbs – approx. 11:30, 10:30, and 7:00, with a moody, inspirational playlist. Climbs in my certification (Spinning®) are 60-80 RPM, intensity – hard to very hard, seated or standing. As long as riders were in the climbing ranges I didn’t get prescriptive about RPM. For the progressive climbs, I cued resistance adds based on the energy changes in the songs.
You can invite riders to create the experience in their mind with visualization or they can opt to just feel the ride and see what emerges. If you go the Tour route, you can find facts and pics about the Tour de France Femmes on VeloNews.com and share tidbits throughout the ride.
I kept coaching to a minimum throughout the ride. The first song helps set the stage (no pun intended) for going inward, getting centered for a challenge that comes from within. Don’t shy away from starting your profile off with the quietness of this song and of being quiet yourself after you introduce the ride. I know this is tough for many instructors. Getting comfortable with being quiet so that your riders can hear their own thoughts and feel their own feelings is worth mastering! The same goes for the cool down song, Nara. I simply said “Congratulations. Enjoy the view.” when we reached the apex of the last climb; then stayed quiet until it was time to stretch.
I’ve done this ride four times so far – twice by myself because I love the playlist so much! Trust your riders and the music and I think you’ll help create an experience that is truly awesome.
