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Steamboat Springs — Steamboat Springs cycling titan Barkley Robinson refuses to ride with it. U.S. Biathlon development team member Marty Smith won't work out without it.

Trail-running guru Jenna Gruben said it could destroy her thoughts, and endurance mountain biker Kris Cannon said that without it, her thoughts could destroy her.

Forget a downtown bypass, Wall Street bailouts and reality show infidelity: There are few debates likely to divide the many and diverse athletes of Steamboat Springs more fervently than one issue - workout music.

"You better lose yourself in the music, the moment

You own it, you better never let it go" - "Lose Yourself," by Eminem

Those who are open to music in their workouts nearly swear by it.

Ben Clark helps coach the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club summer cycling program, guiding nearly 100 young Routt County bikers.

He said his music serves a purpose.

"Climbing up Lane of Pain on Emerald, a little dose of good music really helps," Clark said. "I don't know if it helps take the pain away, but it helps you embrace the pain."

For others, it's not about drowning out the pain but simply occupying the mind.

Cannon competes in ultra-endurance mountain bike races. When she finished second in the women's solo division of the 24 Hours of Moab last October, she did so with music blaring.

Her support crew switched out her three iPods with the same regularity that they swapped Camelbaks and greased her chain.

"My first 24-hour race, I didn't have any music," Cannon said. "It wasn't good. I was making up rhymes in my head. You lose your mind after a little while if you don't have something to occupy it."

Smith said nearly every member of the biathlon team works out with MP3 players in place.

"I never go without it," he said. "For my sport, it's all endurance, so it gets boring training by yourself. The music keeps you going."

He said that rule applies in the summer whether he's running, roller skiing or even kayaking, thanks to a waterproof iPod case and waterproof headphones.

"You gets no love and I thought you knew it

Fool, you know how we do it" - "You Know How We Do It," by Ice Cube

Song selection is important, the listeners say. They listed dozens of songs, though nearly every choice had something in common.

"It has to be high energy," 15-time Boston Marathon finisher Jennifer Schubert-Akin said. "It needs to be high energy and loud."

Schubert-Akin said she goes without music on locals trails and sticks to the Fox New Channel and jazz when she's in her car. But she wrapped up her most recent finish in Boston in April and said she was guided on the quest by some of her favorite 1980s stars.

"A lot of it has to do with age and musical tastes," she said. "My race mix has a lot of old Madonna on it and Janet Jackson. It has Aretha Franklin and some of Michael Jackson's stuff, before he became really weird."

Nate Bird, meanwhile, adopts a more modern approach, if only slightly. His playlist is filled with Metallica, Rage Against the Machine and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

"When you get going, it's just background music," he said. "It needs to be something you can pump your legs to. I listen to a lot of hip-hop on mine, some old school, hard rock and heavy metal. I like to get fired up, so it's fast, upbeat angry music."

"I got 99 problems :" - "99 Problems," by Jay Z

Workout music isn't for everyone, and those who usually opted out did so for two main reasons.

"I do a lot of road riding, and it's too dangerous to listen," Robinson said. "If you're on the road, you need to be able to hear traffic, and if you're on a mountain bike, you need to be able to hear if there are other riders coming."

With an eye toward safety, even the most hardcore of the music listeners said they ran or pedaled with just one ear bud in.

Still, ultra-marathon stalwart Allen Belshaw said he doesn't want to take any chances. He's a regular on Steamboat's road and trails, even in the winter.

"It's nice to be able to know what's going on and to be ready to get out of a vehicle's way," he said. "I'm taking responsibility for my own safety."

Plus, he said 75 miles into a mind-numbing 100-mile race, he needs all his wits about him.

"You never know what you'll see out there," he said. "Some races might have rattlesnakes. Maybe you will see a moose around here, or a mountain lion. I've always assumed a mountain lion would love a tasty treat like a runner."

Gruben, meanwhile, said when she's trekking across lonely mountain trails midway through such a massive race, the last thing she wants is Flea or Lars Ulrich hammering in her ears.

"I don't listen to an iPod when I run, but I do listen to rolling rivers and chirping birds," she said. "It's nice to be out in nature and listen to what sounds that has to offer me."