Toni Bou Interview

- For us, having won everything since 2007 is a great source of pride, it’s as if we have been
living a dream, something hard to believe. There have been a lot of years and I’m very
grateful to all the people who have been part of it all. Winning this year’s 30th title in
Barcelona was exceptional and we will enjoy it all for the rest of the year until next season
gets underway.
- The first days following the injury were tough. A mistake that I paid dearly for. And it makes
you think as it could have even put an end to my career. But the medical team did a great
job. The week of the race I was surprised how I felt, because I improved a lot from Monday
to Saturday and I have to thank everyone who helped me get over it. Anyway, in Italy I
struggled a lot but after the trial we were lucky that I had a week to recover a lot and from
then on it was what we might call “a normal year”, almost without any pain and things went
very well. In indoor I struggled a lot too, but not for anything physical, but because there
were only two trials, so it turned out to be a successful season.
- At the moment it’s Adam who makes things harder as he has done for many years. It is
clear that he has an 'expiry date', like everyone else, but he is my great rival. It is also true
that Jaime Busto had a strong finish to the season. We'll see what happens next year, but for
the moment it’s Adam who puts the pressure on at all times. Matteo Grattarola also
surprised everyone early on, as did Fujinami's victory. In the end, with the non-stop rules
these things can happen as the riders are often more evenly matched. There are many top
level riders, but the difficult thing is to be consistent.
- I am very pleased with the consistency, which I think is key to winning titles. It’s also
essential to not be off the podium, to get as many wins as possible and pick up many points
too. Last year I had some really good trials and others not so good, but I was always on the
podium.
- Then there were the wins in Pobladura. That weekend was vital for us, because things were
going well, but were by no means over. The two victories there were key to clinching the
championship. I could say that Cahors was also crucial as I came there after a third place and
getting back into the points lead was important, because in such a short championship,
everything was still wide open. Cahors was a step forward.
- Having such a great professional team is the key, something really important for a rider.
Marc Freixa throughout the season, and now Carles Barneda, have been very important for
me, they are people who I get on with great and who I can put my trust in. Also with Jordi
Riera as a mechanic we did a good job this year, especially in the outdoor world
championship. And Quim Isart, who has been a friend since childhood, who helps me out on
a daily basis and is always there if I ever need anything. Quim is very organized. He’s a good
engineer and having someone like that is very important, especially because I’m not very
tidy... and that’s what makes us a very full team because Òscar Giró and Miquel Cirera are
also very professional in their work and you know you don't have to worry about anything
because everything is in their hands. Miquel Cirera has been very important for me because
he was the person who first signed me to Montesa. Together we have achieved these 30
titles, which has been a dream. He is super-professional and I have never lacked anything. I
will miss him. He is a great manager and he has done an incredible job for the brand and also
for me and his career has been a success and I have been able to shine thanks to him too.
- This indoor championship had a lot of risks with just the two trials. Right up until the final
moment we knew that anything could happen and that, yeah, now we have won the 30
world championships, but it could have been without any celebrations. X-Trial, moreover,
involves a lot of risks, not only physically, but also because of the qualification system where
a single mistake can leave you out of the final. To end up winning in Barcelona was great, but
it would also have been really tough to lose it at home. There was a lot of pressure, we were
tossing a coin and also the rules for the semi-finals, the group stage... made it easy to lose...
but also to win it, because suddenly we found ourselves saying, “Hey, that’s it. I’m already
champion?” Both for me and for the fans. They are rules that come with a lot of risks and
sometimes they can spoil the show.
- Yes, it was the same all year. Our aim is to change it for the bike that Takahisa Fujinami has
been riding, which has a little bit more displacement. It's difficult because I’ve won a lot of
titles on the bike that I've been riding since 2013. The previous change was very difficult for
me and now I know that it will also be difficult. We have to try to evolve and make it better
than the one we have had until now. The training and race bikes have the same set-up, and
for the indoor, not many changes, because we have four power maps and in the end we can
have a good order, the suspension changes a bit: less travel, more direct, the brakes are also
vital, because good brakes make the bike even lighter, to be able to move it around more
easily.
- I think there has rarely been a situation like ours: fifteen years as team-mates. You end up
building a great friendship, I have a very good relationship with him and now having him as a
boss will be special and different, because he is very professional and I am sure he will do a
great job. As a team-mate he is great fun and has been a great partner. In the final part of
his career he has helped me a lot and I have been very lucky to have enjoyed many years
with my team-mate, working together, evolving... it has been something special.
- The most difficult thing is to stay motivated. The adrenaline you get from winning the first
trial in 2006 is good, but then to see that you are not consistent enough, that you don’t get
onto the podium, that you make a lot of mistakes that are hard to correct... uff… But
learning to correct them and finding success for so long is something incredible. Staying up
there for so many years is tricky; you have to keep your feet on the ground and keep
working day in day out, because if you stop working, the success fades away. Staying
motivated is something that is innate in me. It’s much easier to stay motivated when you’re
winning, because success feeds you and makes you more motivated, more mature and
makes you believe in yourself and believe in what you do, which is essential to moving
forward.
- The best thing about me is that when I’m in a competition I'm really absorbed in it, but
then I can switch off very quickly. The people around me see that. I love being with my
friends, but I also like to do what I do, whatever it is. I enjoy the moment. So it’s easier for
me to stay connected for so many years by winning.
- Right now, there have been more years of success than I could ever have dreamt of. When
I won when I was 20 years old, it was a dream come true. First I thought about equalling or
surpassing Adam, two titles, then the three of Michaud or Lejeune... then it seemed that I
could reach the 7... of Tarrés and Lampkin... and then you realise that you don't have anyone
ahead of you to mark you, and that you are writing your own history. I try to live for the day,
I don't look too far ahead, I try to be competitive and if one day I lose the world
championship, I will try to be competitive to get it back.
- And trial, yes. Because I do extreme enduro for a day or two and I love it, but by the third
day I want to go back to trial. That shows that, maybe because I have a very high level, I
don't get tired of the day-to-day.