Mário Silva

Road cyclist Mário Silva enjoyed success in the 1960s with his best results coming at the Volta a Portugal. Silva began his career in 1959, winning several junior races, which earned him a place on the Portuguese team for the Olympics. At the 1960 Roma Games he competed in the road race, but did not finish the course, and finished 25th in the 100 kilometres team time trial. Despite a poor performance at the Olympics, the following year marked a turning point in Silva’s career, with him becoming the national pursuit champion on the track and winning the prestigious Volta a Portugal on the road. His good form continued with him finishing third on the final stage at the 1962 Vuelta a España.

Silva remained consistent throughout the decade at the Volta a Portugal where he finished in the top ten on six occasions from 1962 to 1969. At the 1969 race he won stage 16 in addition to finishing third overall. Across the border he rode in several more editions of the Vuelta a España (1963, 1965, 1966), along with multiple road races at the Portuguese national championships. Silva’s final win came in 1970 at the Tour of Rhodesia before he retired from the sport.