If I’m looking to push myself, it’s usually the Iron Maiden album Somewhere In Time, or specifically the song “Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner” which could apply to cycling as well as running, I think…
In truth one of Sir @David.McQuillen.KoS’s great gifts was his Everything Sufferfest playlist on Spotify. I frequently listen it to it indoors, and often find that just being in a certain situation on the road triggers a SUFF tune in my head. It’s great having all of them available!
Lynyrd Skynyrd pops in my head on certain outdoor routes, especially That Smell. My dad and I rode together for decades, and he loved to ride to That Smell. If I am on a route that reminds me of him, Lynyrd Skynyrd always shows up!
If, I’m awake, I have a song in my head, so it’s no different when I’m on the bike. It may be something I heard on the radio as I drove to the start of the ride, or something as annoying as a bad advertising jingle that played on TV the night before. Most often it’s probably something the band I play with has been rehearsing.
My wife is continually baffled by my running soundtrack. “So you just have music…in your head…all the time?” “What are you listening to right now?”
Conversely, I don’t understand people that DON’T have music going all the time. Are their heads just…quiet?
That was a good reason why I tried to listen to certain songs before races in high school.
I was in performance band in high school and would get random odd songs we were playing stuck in my head. So for cross country league finals I had “Conga” by Miami Sound Machine stuck in my head the whole race.
So that’s why I had a cassette with Megadeth’s “Symphony of Destruction” recorded on it multiple times in row. Then I was assured of having a good song stuck in my head during a race.
OMG, so many songs…Heavy Metal by Sammy Hagar, Unchained by VH, Master of Puppets by Metallica, The Needle Lies by Queensryche, The Ace of Spades by Motorhead generally stuff with a driving beat.