Trevor de Silva:

One of the greatest sporting personalities of all time

Leslie FERNANDO

It was a hot humid day in Bangkok 1966. Six of Asia's best cyclists, including an Olympic Medallist line up for final of the Asian Games 800 metres sprint. Just over a minute later and reaching speeds of 65 kph, Sri Lanka cycling had its proudest moment, the first ever international medal winner. It was their 24-year-old Trevor de Silva, just for good measure a few days later he won a second Bronze Medal to prove that the first was no fluke, 2009, 43 years later no cyclist has even come close to breaking this record.

Honours

In 2008 to recognize this feat the Sri Lankan Government bestowed on him a National Sporting Honour a citation and a trophy. His name and that of another great cyclist, the late Maurice Coomaravel is included in the unique book Sri Lanka proud - a tribute to champions.

Trevor was born in Moratuwa in 1942 a town he still holds with much affection and memories. His cycling career started in 1958 when Trevor won the annual St. Joseph's College bike race. In 1959 he won the National Schoolboy Championship and then went on to be runner-up in the Junior National Championship to Trevor Newman who de Silva says had huge potential and if not for many disappointments caused by the cycling authorities could have succeeded at international level.

His first senior level race at 18 years was the 1960 Olympic Trial won by Maurice Coomeravel who went to Rome, Trevor finished a creditable 4th about 8 minutes back despite crash at the half way mark.

His next race in the same year, the Paragon Citerium, Trevor finished an amazing 4th again to Coomaravel just 2 seconds back. A new star was emerging.

Unjustly denied

In 1962 Trevor qualified for the Asian Games. Due to lack of funds only one rider Placidus Schroeter was sent. De Silva, Chandra Perera and Trevor Newman were very unjustly denied a place. De Silva got his 'revenge' when in the same year he beat Schroeter in a sprint finish at the National Sports Festival in Colombo. He went on to win about 100 races a lot less than Coomeravel or Symons who have won hundreds. But that was his 'GrandPlan 66'. To 'peak' in December 1966 a long long time away. That was his meticulous plan.

At the age of just 22, Trevor was the first rider to win the 3 major classics in Sri Lanka, the Tour de Lanka, the Tour of the Hills of Kandy, and the Tour of the Valley all in the space of 12 months. Since the early sixties every top cyclists dream was to win Sri Lanka's first ever medal in international cycling. It was no different with Trevor. Since 1963 'It became an obsession' he says. He planned it down to the finest detail.

He needed three years to build up. His regular training partners were late Maurice Coomaravel and Desmond Goonewardena, Trevor Newman, Ivan Gamage and S. M. Hassan. But mainly he trained on his own or behind a moped to develop speed. He was fast, very fast and able to reach 75 kph flat out. He had a special gear set made for him with a II tooth sprocket by a Chinese Company, a size unheared of in the '60s. It was his secret weapon.

Target

No one believed that a Sri Lankan cyclist could succeed at the highest international level. The program was in place and he said to himself 'now get on with it'. He set himself an intermediate target to reach before December 1966, to ride from Colombo to Kandy in three hours i.e. average 40 km/hr.

His training distances were 500 km per week in 1964, 650 in 1965, 800 km per week every in 1966. Trevor did not ride many races like his contemporaries. When he raced it was only to test his finishing speed and strength. Once a week he rode from his hometown Moratuwa to Kandy and back tackling Kadugannawa climb on the way. He did high-speed rides behind a moped averaging 50 km/hr for an hour. During sprint training with Coomaravel, they regularly reached speeds of up to 75 km/hr. Extraordinary training was required to achieve an extraordinary feat. Every three months he cycled up to Nuwara Eliya climbing the awesome Rambodapass.

Suffer pain

Another reason he reached less often is that his training speeds were far in excess of the race speeds. According to Trevor's philosophy, to win a race, it was easy, you only had to beat the rider who was second.

"To win at International Level, I had to keep beating myself, I had to get stronger and faster each year", he said. Trevor had a huge capacity for hard work, to suffer pain in training and a great urge to succeed.

Achievement

Trevor's other great asset was his self-belief. "I always believed that I could win an Asian Games medal. Since 1962, I believed that one day I will. A belief I shared with no one. It was a secret I shared with no one, for the simple reason no one would have believed me", he says.

Did you have any fears about you succeeding? He replies more with confidence than arrogance "no, as soon as you entertain fear, your belief is diluted and you might fail".

He says there were many cyclists during his era who could have shone at international level, namely Maurice Coomarevel, Chandra Perera, Trevor Newman, Anthony Symonds and Desmond Goonewardena who incidently was placed 6th at the 1966 Asian Games, which according to Trevor is an achievement second only to his own. If he had to pick a team of six in the mid-1960s who would be included? Trevor's selection was Maurice Coomarevel, Chandra Perera, Anthony Symonds, Trevor Newman (Capt), S. M. Hassan and himself.

Trevor's achievements are all the more extraordinary as there were no sponsorships, no coaching and no government facilities. Trevor was lucky he was able to use the athletics track at his first schools at St. Sebastians College, Moratuwa for which he is very grateful.

At the Asian Games his equipment was so substandard that the Chinese and Japanese team managers took pity on him and lent him two sets of proper racing wheels. After the games the managers asked him to keep the wheels saying he had earned them by beating their own cyclists.

Encouragement

He is grateful for unstinting support and encouragement from his late parents Frank and Mary and his sister Leilani.

Trevor also remembers the stalwarts in the then Cycling Federation, the late Eric Seneviratne and Julian Grero and C. T. Deveraja who all helped to keep Sri Lankan cycling together in the days when there was no funding from the government and sponsorship.

Trevor is also extremely grateful to his Asian Games team mates and late Desmond Goonewardena, Ivan Gamage and M. S. Hassan for their help and training sessions during the three weeks in Bangkok.

Olympics 1972

In 1972 Trevor was selected for the Munich Olympics having previously reached a standard of 4 hours for 160 kms. But the passion for cycling had gone 'I put so much into the 1966 Games that I thought enough was enough". He did not want to go to Munich to make up the numbers. Could he have won an Olympic Medal? He hesitates and says "yes I think so, but the motivation to do 800 km a week to achieve this was not there".

In the UK

Trevor left for the UK in 1969 where he studied engineering and earned his Royal Charter in Mechanical and Production Engineering. From 1976 he worked for the multi-national Lafarge Group. Starting as an Industrial Engineer he progressed to be a Business Planner having gained a Masters in Business Administration. In 1991 he left this company to set up the well known fitness and coaching establishment having, having done part-time since 1986.

Trevor is married to Anne who is the HR Director at the Royal Academy of Art in London.

Trevor is a UK Athletics level 4 (highest level) coach and also coaches the Wimbledon Windmilers running club in Wimbledon. He runs seminars on high-level Training and Sports injuries. In 1985 at the age of 43, Trevor ran the London Marathon in Under 2 hours 40 minutes. He also advises runners and cyclists in preparation for the 2012 London Olympics.

At 66 he still cycles (not in 'anger' anymore, he says), runs or walk most days purely as a means of staying healthy.