He made me cry with this one, just at the end, he got me. Sat in a cafe wiping a tear away.
This is a guy who hadn’t done a single race before we started working together, then he started podiuming, and even winning some massive super long stuff, and in the recent USA National Gran Fondo Champs he took 10th in his age group and set a new FTP of 291 – and all this with a really not great run-in to the event. I was very happily surprised with that result and we’ll take it.
Dave is a very honest guy and a pleasure to work with, and we’ve become friends through the process of speaking each week – we will meet up in person for the first time next week here in Taipei and I’m looking forward to that, though he better not drop me!
Dave, thank you, for this and for your commitment and willingness to be yourself and to rip it when required!
_________
By Dave Nash
For 20 years, I focused on family and building my career. I became overweight (30% body fat) and out of shape (95kg+), four years ago this month – concerned about my health trends – I picked up a road bike for the first time. I was instantly captivated by the community, the responsiveness of the bike, and the sheer joy it brought.
Finally, I found a type of exercise that I could enjoy and not dread. I became instantly addicted. For the first 2.5 years, I was consistently riding a few days a week but was aimless with no structure. Some progress, good weigh loss, but still very far behind my cycling peers.
Dave at the Gran Fondo Nationals 2023
I knew I needed to make a jump to be more competitive and to “just” keep up. In March 2022, after interviewing a few coaches, my good friend, Taylor Price, recommended Lee, and we made an instant connection. Working with Lee has made all the difference. He provided a much needed structure that was flexible around an uber-busy work schedule and family needs.
It was balanced yet aggressively pushed me.
Our workouts focus on building confidence, strength, endurance, VO2 max, race simulations, technique, and grit (something, candidly, I lack). During our weekly calls, we customize my schedule for the week, discuss the previous week’s workouts, and upcoming race strategies.
Being new to cycling this is all completely foreign to me. I must admit that I still dread hard interval days, but understand it is part of the improvement process.
I think all of this might sound standard, but Lee focuses on the total person. It’s been a particularly stressful year with my son in drug rehab twice, bouts of depression, work stresses, and family drama.. Coach Lee always focuses on the person first. I’ve come to learn that it takes a complete person – a combination of mind, body, and soul – to race competitively. I’ve had two podium finishes in the Spring, a very lacklustre “underwhelming” summer, but then ended at a season high this past weekend with a 10th place finish in my age group at the USA Gran Fondo National Championships. Lee helps to manage the rider, the racer, the person with all the emotional ups and downs that come with it.
Despite all his years of robust cycling experience, his ability to connect with the person just might be his greatest strength of all.
Well done Mr. Nash!
