TIDC scouts look for qualities in athlete beyond field of play, says top cyclist and coach Maxwell Trevor

Khel Today Bureau

Patna: Talent scouts look out for small things like an athlete’s warm-up routine and demeanour besides an athlete’s performance on the field of play, the Sports Authority of India’s Talent Identification and Development Committee (TIDC) member for Cycling, Maxwell Trevor, has revealed.

A 11-time national track cycling champion in his heydays and with a fourth place in the 1986 Asian Games, Maxwell Trevor is among the most respected Cycling coaches. He shared insights into the work of the TIDC team when he explained what it seeks in athletes competing in Khelo India Youth Games 2025 Bihar.

Maxwell Trevor said TIDC members for Cycling focus on every athlete, especially between the ages of 14 and 16. “We are watching their pedaling, we’re watching their warm-up routines, we are watching their discipline,” he said. “Some athletes are so disciplined they know when to warm up.”

“Firstly, we look for younger athletes with whom coaches can engage in a long-term training program. We also look at the kind of equipment like frames and wheels that athletes are using their rides because we know that it is a big factor. We also assess the athletes for their explosive power,” he said.

“After that, we have sport-specific tests on bicycles attached to a computer that captures the data like the cadence, the revolutions per minute of the pedals, the heart rate and the power generated in Watts in different time frames,” he said. “All these tests give us a good idea of the talent that the athlete has.”

He does not stop for looking at the physical aspect of the sport. “We are also looking at the mental ability of the young riders,” he said. “I’ve come across many talented athletes who have lacked the mental ability and did not believe in themselves. So these are aspects that we take into consideration.”

Speaking about the pockets from where India’s better cyclists emerge – Rajasthan in endurance and Manipur and Andaman and Nicobar islands for sprints, Maharashtra and Karnataka – Maxwell Trevor said riders from some of these areas are born with a lot of talent and have the lower body structure for the sport.

Maxwell Trevor, who remembers his own selfless coach Mumtaz Ahmed with respect, gratitude and fondness, is happy that Cycling Federation of India has begun paying more attention to coaching at the grassroots level. “Yes, the Federation is working in that direction,” he said.

“The UCI Level 1 course for coaches to at the grassroot level is now available in India. The attempt is to multiply the number of coaches at the grassroot level so that they become a feeding unit to the main centers. I think we’re on the right track and that things will fall in place,” he said.