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My 2023 Year In Strava Music
Got some of those “Your year in Music (by Spotify)” things in your social feed? Posted one yourself? Waiting for the “Year in Review” mail from Strava?
This year, I thought: Why not do both?
Sometimes - I don’t remember when, exactly - I picked up the habit of using a couple of words or a line or two from a song to name my rides. Sometimes, those were songs I listened to while riding (only when on bike paths, never on the road). Sometimes, they just felt appropriate. They might have come to my mind for no reason, or resemble the mood of the ride.
So, I thought let’s do a 2023 review - in my own style. 87 song citations, one at a time: 2023 in Strava Music.
January
I hate being cold, and since January was pretty cold around here, I didn’t ride outside at all. And since I only give names to outdoor rides, this month is empty.
February
Finally, the outdoor season started off nice and cozy, on really familiar tracks. Starting to ride outside in February is pretty early for me, which is also foreshadowing the things to come in fall…
March
Aaaaaahhhh, the sacred month of march, when every cyclist in continental Europe and the British isles flies to the sunny island of Mallorca. I’m not different, so Mallorca it was. Our daughter in the safe hands of the grandparents, we left for a week of riding in warmer temperatures. Pro-Tip: Don’t bring your bike. Rent. It’s not much more expensive than the airline fee, and if you stretch your budget a bit, you can even ride a bike that is nicer than the one you have at home. In my case, it was a Cannondale System Six, pre-loved by some EF Education First Pro I can’t remember. Oh, and I did see Magnus Cort powering up Randa. I was impressed, he wasn’t, story of my life.
| Date | Ride | Song | Map | Comments |
|---|
| 2023-03-04 | I live on the right side, I sleep on the left / That’s why everything’s gotta be love or death | White Lies - Death |  | In case you’re wondering, that’s still in Vienna. |
| 2023-03-10 | Lying on the ground, Feeling like a dyin’ man | Michael Kiwanuka - Final Days |  | Still Vienna. |
| 2023-09-19 | I bless the Rains Down in Africa | Toto - Africa |  | Vienna. |
| 2023-03-22 | Run, boy, run! | Woodkid - Run, boy, run! |  | Vienna still. |
| 2023-03-26 | Beach 2k20 | Robyn - Beach 2k20 |  | Ah. Once around the airport. Splendid route selection if you ask me. |
| 2023-03-27 | I said, “Do you speak-a my language?” He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich | Men at Work - Down Under |  | This is where I saw Magnus. |
| 2023-03-28 | Walk like an Egyptian | The Bangles - Walk like an Egyptian |  | It’s because it got those appendages, right? The other option would have been “It’s hip to be square”, but it’s not really square. |
| 2023-03-29 | Open the door, get on the floor Everybody walk the dinosaur | Was not Was - Walk the Dinosaur |  | I love going up Soler and I have no idea why this song stuck with me the whole ride, but it did. |
| 2023-03-31 | Love and marriage, love and marriage Go together like a horse and carriage | Frank Sinatra - Love and Marriage |  | Couple ride. Get it? |
April
One last ride in Mallorca, and for reasons I cannot remember there then is a three week break without any rides. I had some back issues this year, maybe that’s why? Speaking of which, back issues suck. Stay healthy, kids!
| Date | Ride | Song | Map | Comments |
|---|
| 2023-04-01 | Na ah ah ah ah ah ah ah - Randa! | AC/DC (Kinda) - Thunderstruck |  | We met Ricky on Randa, which was Rand-om, and very nice. And we saw a ton of PNS influencers. Those two events were related. |
| 2023-04-21 | I’m bringing sexy back | Justin Timberlake - Sexy Back |  | |
| 2023-04-22 | You gotta know, I’m feeling love made of gold | Chet Faker - Gold |  | This loop goes to Goldenes Bründl (‘Golden Well’), and I love it. That’s all you need to know I guess. |
| 2023-04-25 | A-well-a don’t you know about the bird? Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word | The Trashmen - Surfin Bird |  | |
| 2023-04-30 | Ice, ice, baby | Vanilla Ice - Ice, Ice, Baby |  | When you’re inappropriately clothed for the temperatures, you need to go quite fast to not cool out. |
May
May was a pretty amazing month for me. I managed to get in over 1.000km, which makes it the strongest month of my 2023. Three rides over 100km, and I did a variant of a loop I’ve come to call ‘The Soulcrusher’ on 2023-05-22 which looks like a vulture on the map and that’s a great summary of what it can do to your liver.
| Date | Ride | Song | Map | Comments |
|---|
| 2023-05-01 | To die young is far too boring these days | Helmet - Unsung |  | Guess I tried a new loop. Might have been good, but didn’t leave an impression because I can’t remember. |
| 2023-05-06 | On an island in the sun We’ll be playing and having fun | Weezer - Island in the Sun (the good video) |  | |
| 2023-05-07 | Mi see blessings fall by mi right hand | Koffee - Toast |  | Some loops just make me happy. This is one of them. |
| 2023-05-09 | Feel a good, good creepin’ up on you So just dance, dance, dance, come on | Justin Timberlake - Can’t stop the Feeling |  | |
| 2023-05-11 | Garde-moi, je suis noble de cœur | MC Solaar - Solaar Pleure |  | |
| 2023-05-20 | Put your good face on, you’re foolin’ no one You’re a jackrabbit underneath | San Fermin - Jackrabbit |  | |
| 2023-05-21 | We always hang in a Buffalo Stance We do the dive every time we dance | Neneh Cherry - Buffalo Stance |  | Dopplerhütte, Sofienalpe. A classic. Just like Neneh Cherry. |
| 2023-05-22 | Got what I got the hard way; And I’ll make it better each and every day | The Blues Brothers - Soul Man |  | I’m not a gifted cyclist. I really need to work hard for everything. This is how working hard looks for me. |
| 2023-05-23 | Baby, baby, baby, baby, he’s looking so cute, yeah; Riding around in a blue jumpsuit, yeah | Rollins Band - Ghost Rider |  | Sometimes I wonder how road cyclists look to other people. That line might be not too far off. |
| 2023-05-25 | You don’t know me, I am an introvert an excavator; I’m duckin’ out for now, a face in dodgy elevators | Santigold - Les Artistes |  | |
| 2023-05-26 | But everybody’s like / Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece / Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash | Lorde - Royals |  | Okay, this has nothing to do with the ride but watch the video to see the immense talent of Lorde. She is - in stark contrast to me - truly gifted. |
| 2023-05-27 | Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back / Struck from a great height by someone who should know better than that | Florence and the machine - The Dog Days are over |  | If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands. |
| 2023-05-29 | I backed my car into a cop car the other day / Well, he just drove off, sometimes life’s okay | Modest Mouse - Float on |  | |
| 2023-05-31 | Ha ha ha, bless your soul / You really think you’re in control | Gnarls Barkley - Crazy |  | |
June
WTF happened here? Only five rides in the mid of summer? Oh - yeah. A beach holiday in 🇬🇷 happened here. I definitely had back issues then. Spent the whole vacation on pain killers and red wine.
July
I was in Salzburg for two rides. And of course it rained on both occasions. Salzburg, amirite?
| Date | Ride | Song | Map | Comments |
|---|
| 2023-07-02 | Except the little fish / Bump into me, swear he’s / Tryin’ a talk to me, say wait wait / Where is my mind? | The Pixies - Where is my Mind? |  | Why do I keep doing this? Because I can listen to music when I do this. Maybe. |
| 2023-07-04 | I‘m just looking for one divine hammer | The Breeders - Divine Hammer |  | |
| 2023-07-05 | Blinded by the Light | Bruce Springsteen - Blinded by the light |  | When your friends don’t have kids, they’re on a different schedule. And getting them to ride in the morning once is a major achievement. |
| 2023-07-07 | I bet you even know / Where we could go oh-oh-oh | Chvrches - The Mother we share |  | |
| 2023-07-08 | I really identify with you so much. | Rollins Band - Liar |  | |
| 2023-07-09 | Just a man, and his will to survive | Survivor - Eye of the Tiger |  | It was brutally hot that day. Too hot. And I like hot. By the way - did you notice the similarities with the first video of the year? |
| 2023-07-10 | The sky set out like a pathway / But who decides which route we take | White Lies - Death AGAIN?!!?! |  | |
| 2023-07-11 | Like a true nature’s child / We were born / Born to be wild | Steppenwolf - Born to be wild |  | Rode with Josh, talked bikes. The ones with motors. I now know what ‘chopper’ means. |
| 2023-07-14 | Don’t come over here / Piss on my gate / Save it just keep it off my wave | Soundgarden - My Wave |  | |
| 2023-07-15 | Why does my heart feel so bad? | Moby - Why does my heart feel so bad? |  | The loop has a heart shape, and I felt really unfit on the ride. Got it? Of course you did. |
| 2023-07-18 | Oh, if the trip and the plan come apart in your hand / You can turn it on yourself, you ridiculous clown | LCD Sound System - All my Friends |  | |
| 2023-07-19 | Du hast gut reden, du kamst vielleicht schon klug zur Welt | MIA. Mausen. |  | |
| 2023-07-24 | Es kommt irgendwann irgendwoher irgendwie alles wieder | MIA. Atze de Boe |  | |
| 2023-07-28 | And when the rain begins to fall / You’ll ride my rainbow in the sky | Jermaine Jackson & Pia Zadora - When the rain begins to fall |  | |
| 2023-07-29 | People, after the rain, will your life / Will it ever be the same? | Little Dragon - After the Rain |  | |
August
There are two Furka passes in the world. One is in Switzerland, and the other one is in Vorarlberg. You can ride both with Hugo, of which there is only one. I know this because I did it. The last time, we rode the one in Vorarlberg from Rankweil, that’s the not so cool side. This year, we rode it from the Bregenzer Wald side, the proper side. Also, it was raining and Hugo played his famous charm and managed to convince some hotel staff to let us sit out the worst in their breakfast room. They even gave us coffee. On the animal side of things, I met a poodle.
| Date | Ride | Song | Map | Comments |
|---|
| 2023-08-01 | And I’m gonna see that you won’t go far (oh oh) | Chvrches (again?) The Mother we share AGAIN? |  | Planned for a longer route, it started to rain, turned around. Then the rain stopped. |
| 2023-08-3 | Kari some no yume ni utau / Ikusen no toki wo koete | Baby Metal - Megitsune |  | 🦊 |
| 2023-08-8 | Lord give me grace and dancing feet / Let me outshine the moon | Bloc Party - The Prayer |  | Going up Exelberg brings back good memories. |
| 2023-08-11 | When food is gone you are my daily meal | Florence and the Machine - The dog days are over AGAIN? |  | |
| 2023-08-12 | They can’t see him walking through the darkness | Tekhita - Walking Trough the Darkness |  | |
| 2023-08-14 | Don’t get strung out by the way that I look / Don’t judge a book by its cover | Frankenfurter - Sweet Transvestite |  | |
| 2023-08-15 | All I wanna do is have some fun / I got a feelin’ I’m not the only one | Sheryl Crow - All I wanna do |  | Furka with Hugo. Got Apfelstrudel from his mom in Rankweil, then took the train back home. Perfect day, even if we got soaking wet in between. |
| 2023-08-16 | I like my toast done on one side | Sting - Englishman in New York |  | |
| 2023-08-17 | I know you got charm and appeal / You always play the field | Diana Ross - Upside Down |  | |
| 2023-08-18 | Regular dogs that used to hang out in the neighbourhood looked at the poodle, Didn’t think anything of it. | Frank Zappa - The Poodle Lecture) |  | |
| 2023-08-19 | Country roads, take me home | John Denver - Take me home, country roads |  | |
| 2023-08-22 | Rhythm, you have it or you don’t / That’s a fallacy | Gorillaz - Clint Eastwood |  | |
| 2023-08-23 | Eso es amor sin dolor / Hasta la próxima mi amor | MC Solaar - Hasta La Vista |  | I was drinking the day before with a friend. To this day, I don’t know how I managed to get this ride in. |
| 2023-08-24 | Spoonman / Speak the rhythm on your own / Speak the rhythm all alone | Soundgarden - Spoonman |  | |
| 2023-08-25 | To call for hands of above, to lean on / Wouldn’t be good enough for me, no | The Knife - Heartbeats |  | |
| 2023-08-27 | I just can’t worry ‘bout no haters, gotta stay on my grind | Iggy Azalea - Fancy |  | She speaks the truth. |
September
2023 has been a wild year temperature-wise. I don’t know how often I went out for a ride just to “enjoy the last day of summer”. More often than once. More often than a dozen times probably.
| Date | Ride | Song | Map | Comments |
|---|
| 2023-09-02 | Time, time, time / See what’s become of me | The Bangles - Hazy Shade of Winter |  | |
| 2023-09-04 | That’s why I’m easy / I’m easy like Sunday morning | The Commodores - Easy |  | |
| 2023-09-06 | We’ve got the feelings that you want / Peace, love, and understanding | Nothing but Thieves - Welcome to the DCC |  | |
| 2023-09-07 | Movin’ to the country / Gonna eat a lot of peaches | The Presidents of the United States of America - Peaches |  | |
| 2023-09-08 | I’m kind of over gettin’ told to throw my hands up in the air / So there | Lorde - Team |  | |
| 2023-09-09 | And it’s lend me ten pounds, I’ll buy you a drink / And mother wake me early in the morning | The Pogues - Boys from the County Hell |  | |
| 2023-09-10 | And I scream from the top of my lungs “What’s going on?“ | 4 Non Blondes - What’s up? |  | The family was away and I had time. I spent it with a 160k ride along the Danube to Krems and back. Up to this day I don’t know if it was a good idea or not. |
| 2023-09-11 | Enjoying the Beigeness | Kae Tempest - The Beigeness |  | |
| 2023-09-16 | Don’t you realize you’re fine | Phantogram - Don’t Move |  | |
| 2023-09-17 | Earth tone suits you / So give it a smile | Helmet - In the Meantime |  | |
| 2023-09-20 | Down by the riverside / There’s bound to be a better ride / Than what you’ve got planned | The Bangles - Hazy Shade of Winter AGAIN? |  | Honest to god, this was the first time I noticed how fitting these lyrics are. |
| 2023-09-21 | They say that girl you know she act so rough, rough, rough / Well it’s ‘til I turn off the light, turn off the light | Nelly Furtado - Turn off the light |  | |
| 2023-09-26 | One more time with feeling | Regina Spektor - One more time with Feeling |  | |
| 2023-09-28 | Sometimes it feels like a barricade / To keep us away, keep us away / And it kinda does | Interpol - Barricade |  | |
| 2023-09-29 | So be easy and free / When you’re drinking with me / I’m a man you don’t meet every day | The Pogues - I’m a man you don’t meet every day |  | |
October
Boom. End of season, switch to kettlebells.
November
At this point, I don’t even know why I bother. When putting on your clothes feels it’s taking longer than doing the ride itself, even the benefits of fresh air seem questionable. I’m too old for this shit, you know?
That’s it. 87 rides spanning 10 months, 87 opportunities to mess up any recommendation algorithm.
And if you’re now convinced in my taste in music and want to relive the experience, here is a 6 hour playlist of all the songs linked here. Enjoy.
And if you have any suggestions for my rides in 2024, let me know!
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