On The Pegs December 2019 - Volume 4 - Issue 12 | Page 138

On The Pegs
138
those glory years.
What do you remember about clinching your final FIM Trial World Cham-
pionship title at the last round in Spain back in 2003, and equalling Tarres’
record of seven outdoor titles and becoming the first rider to win seven in
a row?
The title race had come close and Fujinami (Fuji) was sick of being second
to me in the championship and to be fair he had some great rides during the
season. The last round was near Madrid on massive dry rocks, so we both had
strong competition from other riders, which could influence the end result. I re-
member many things about that day, but my favourite was my Uncle Arthur had
ridden alone on his road bike all the way to Spain to support me and at the end
he held a flag that said “KING DOUG”. I still have the photo as that was very spe-
cial to me. The Trial went well and I was in front of Fujinami all day, but the pres-
sure was incredible on both of us. As I exited the last section the relief was im-
mense, I had my family and friends there including my future wife Nicola and we