Theme Ride Thursday: Four Thanksgiving Profiles and Four Bucket Playlists to Choose From!

It’s turkey time! Whether riders plan to be cooking all week, traveling home for the holiday, or participating in a local turkey trot race, our four Thanksgiving profiles and four separate Thanksgiving Day bucket playlists will surely have everyone covered.

We have four bucket playlists to choose from (one of them is new this year). The first is the main Thanksgiving playlist (~240 songs) that includes quintessential songs that highlight what Thanksgiving is all about—gratitude, family, travel, home, etc. There’s not only a wide range of songs to choose from, but enough tracks to create a different themed playlist every week in November!

The second bucket playlist is about food (~250 songs)—you’ll find everything you’d ever eat on Thanksgiving dinner along with other savory treats. (It’s not just for Thanksgiving, by the way, so if you want to do a food-themed ride any other time of the year, we’ve got you covered!)

The third playlist is songs about family (~230 songs)—we introduced this one to you on the International Day of the Family. 

And finally, the newest one is on the subject of “Home/House (~240 songs). Originally I was putting songs about home into my primary Thanksgiving bucket playlist, but it’s an extremely popular topic for songs so I decided it needed its own place to live. Besides, you may want to do a home-themed ride outside of the holiday—this way you’ll find all those songs in one spot. 

And if you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving because you’re not in the US, there’s no reason why you can’t have a gratitude-based theme ride this time of year. It’s a great way to get your riders in the spirit of feeling grateful for their health and happiness. Or, choose a food-, family-, or home-themed ride.

Here are a few great tracks to choose from for your Thanksgiving ride.

Gratitude, VNV Nation, 6:04, 134 bpm
This is my absolute favorite song to play Thanksgiving week; it’s been a staple in my rides every year since I first discovered it back in 2011. Just get your class onto a climb and let the lyrics speak for you. It’s a song about spiritual growth, a thank you to the universe for all the tough challenges in life because they have made you a better person, even through pain and suffering.

Gratitude, Earth, Wind, and Fire, 3:27, 91 bpm
Perfect for a warm-up or endurance segment.

Home, Phillip Phillips, 3:30, 121 bpm
A perfect climb, standing on the chorus.

We Are Family, Sister Sledge, 3:36, 118 bpm
Slow, steep climb. Focus on the joy of being with family—not just for the holiday (keeping in mind some of your riders may not have that privilege of being with family), but highlight the community you’ve created amongst your cycling participants—let them know that “we are family” and that you are grateful for them!

Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes), Dee Dee Sharp, 2:08, 131 bpm
This one is for a food-themed ride, your recovery song between hard efforts. You’re welcome!

Gobble Gobble, Mathew West, 2:38, 92 bpm
This one will be sure to bring a smile to your riders’ faces, whether you use it in the middle of your ride as a recovery, or as a cool-down.
“Oh my my get that turkey in my belly, oh my my with the cranberry jelly!”

 

Thanksgiving Profiles

The cornucopia of ICA Thanksgiving profiles is overflowing with four different and exciting rides—here they are all in one place to make it easier for you to locate them. There may be some crossover with a few songs here and there, but remember, you can always peruse the four bucket playlists below to replace a song or two if desired.

A Different Twist on a Turkey-Themed Profile! ICA member Bill Jenks sent me this Thanksgiving “story ride,” a cross between Jonathan Livingston Seagull and The Wizard of Oz. Take your students on a journey to meet Tom the turkey, who dreams about soaring with the eagles and flying off to some wonderful place where he can be happy. All the songs align with the message.	Thanksgiving Profile: The Gratitude Ride Thanksgiving is coming up in the US, but nations from all over the world share in the need for and the desire to express gratitude. Previously we’ve posted a 90-minute Gratitude Ride, and we’re reposting it here. Still the same great songs and dedication to gratitude, but updated with a few new cues. Enjoy this profile with your students!
Thanksgiving Profile: Over the River and Through the Woods Another profile for Thanksgiving! This one takes you over the river and through the woods. However, unlike the traditional song, you’re not going to dinner on a sleigh…but on your mountain bike over four rolling hills! you’re not going to dinner on a sleigh…but on your mountain bike over four rolling hills!over four rolling hills!	Thanksgiving Quick Profile: Gobble ’Til You Wobble Whether your Thanksgiving Day includes the rigors of traveling to make it home for the holiday or participating in local turkey trot fun races, there’s one thing we all have in common on Thanksgiving…we eat—a LOT! This profile follows a rider through all of these activities, including a dinner with all the fixings.

 

You can follow our four Thanksgiving bucket playlists below to create a wide range of theme rides.