About Dave the Coach
So, what do you actually get when you choose Dave Lloyd as your personal one-one coach? You are getting Dave Lloyd ... "THE COMMON SENSE COACH." , as dubbed by the magazine "Cycling Weekly."
DROWNING IN A SEA OF MEANINGLESS DATA? ... DON'T ... IT'S JUST COMMON SENSE ... DAVe'S MESSAGE IS ... "KEEP IT SIMPLE!"
Dave takes a "no nonsense" approach to his coaching and aims to use that oft neglected "common sense" when dealing with his athletes. Dave treats all his athletes as a person not just a set of figures! Too often coaches become obsessed by "numbers" with their riders. How much power can they produce? What is their Lactate Threshold? What is their BMI? etc.etc.etc. They lose sight of the athlete as a person and become more interested in downloading spurious information from computers and converting this into completely meaningless "data".
Dave has seen coaches take literally hundreds of athletes onto their books promising them one to one coaching, where in reality they are printing off schedule "templates" from their computers and giving the same monthly work-outs to all their athletes as a "one fits all" approach ...This is just so wrong!
Please don't get the wrong idea from this however. Dave uses a scientific approach to his coaching.... He also tests products himself before he recommends anything. Even as you read this, Dave is testing a Power Meter produced in the USA for a "sensible" price and so far the product looks very positive. Dave has some of his athletes testing the product too, so please watch this space for the "RESULTS!"
WORKING WITH POWER
Dave spent the whole of 2009 and into 2010, working under the kind auspices of the Importer of all makes of Power Meters and he has given Dave access to all the different Power Metres on the Market. Dave has used all of these products FIRST HAND and has tested the Ergomo Bottom Bracket, The Power Tap Hub (the most modern , wireless, 2.4 model) and has spent the whole of a winter's training using the latest £2,600 SRM Cranks , again very kindly loaned to him. Dave used these for the whole of the 2008/2009 Winter and Spring periods and tested all of the different work-outs given by the UK Importer to see if there really was any advantage in using POWER as a training tool.
So,you will see that Dave NEVER turns a blind eye to any innovation and will certainly use anything like this if he thinks it gives an advantage to any of his athletes. The great thing about Dave is that he can try these products "FIRST HAND" as he is still so active in the "Sportive scene" and is still super competitive.. Dave will be has now given his own personal verdict on these POWER TOOLS later in another place... He would like to thank the Importer of the Power Meters very much indeed for his constant help , patience and above all his generosity in allowing Dave to use these products for so long.. !
UPDATE : Dave has now finished his 18 months of research into "power" and has written up his conclusions, which are available here ... Makes very interesting reading!! There will be some new things happening with Dave's ONE TO ONE Coaching for 2013 ... "THE COMMON SENSE COACH" makes sense ... Join him for 2013...
DAVE'S HOLISTIC APPROACH TO HIS ATHLETES
Dave is a hands on coach and treats each of his athletes as a "person" and looks at the wider picture. It's much more than analysing a set of figures that each rider is able to produce (although these do have relevance and have there place in Dave's coaching, obviously). However, Dave would rather look at "the head and the heart" of the rider and take a much more down to earth "holistic" approach. Dave works closely with each of his athletes, using a psychological approach and is much more a "MENTOR" than simply a "coach". There is one thing you can be sure of when you choose Dave as your coach. You get 100% commitment and absolutely no bull shit!
It's by using this approach to his coaching that Dave has produced an unprecedented track record with his riders, unrivalled by any other coach out there and all in an unbelievably short space of time ... Before an in depth look at Dave's track record, here is a piece Dave has written to illustrate his thoughts on "Sports Science": Just click on the "Reality Check" below ...
Dave realises better than anyone that science has it's place in coaching, but having read so many coaching books by various "experts" which are full of conflicting messages and treating the art of coaching as "Rocket Science". Dave believes it's high time for a "REALITY CHECK!" ... Dave's CREDO has always been ... KEEP IT SIMPLE ...