EVEN at the age of 40, Silsden's Dougie Lampkin continues to rewrite the history books as he added a record-extending tenth Scottish Six Days Trial (SSDT) victory to his cv.

To put his latest achievement into context, no other rider has won the crown more than five times in over a century since the event started.

Having been the youngest rider to win it, aged 18 in 1994, he has now become the eldest at 40 this year.

And his latest success had extra significance, coming just a month after the death of his father Martin from cancer.

Martin's absence from Fort William last year due to him undergoing treatment for his illness had been tough enough for Dougie, as his dad had been an important figure at his side throughout his career.

But this year was even more difficult and painful for him.

The Red Bull-backed former world trials champion's participation in the SSDT to defend his title was in serious doubt until three weeks prior to the start. Knowing that Martin would have wanted him to ride, Dougie made the brave decision to attempt to win a tenth Scottish title.

His passage through last week was anything but straight forward, with a damage limitation exercise on day one due to his early starting number. He then had to surrender the yellow leader board on the Wednesday night, which is something he has never suffered before.

However, from Thursday onwards the Silsden ace was back at his best and had created a slight advantage over main rival Michael Brown going into Saturday's showdown.

The Vertigo rider typically excelled and increased his eventual winning margin. Those present in the parc ferme on Saturday afternoon when he rode in, to be met by his brother Harry and mother Isobel, witnessed an outpouring of emotion between the three of them.

Dougie said: "It's difficult to put into words just how I feel right now as it has been an incredibly tough week both mentally and physically. Just a few weeks back I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to ride, but after my mum had a word with me there was no chance I was getting out of it.

"Practising on my own has been pretty much impossible as it gave me far too much thinking time. So I had to revert to riding with the kids after school towards the end, just to get a few hours in on the bike at least.

"It's been a massive week for my whole family, and especially for my brother and my mum. To have Harry ride with me all week has been brilliant, and then for my mum to come up and be at the sections later in the week was something very special and strong.

"It has been hard to keep my head together this week, but there was a job to be done and that was even more important when it came to Saturday. The ride back from Nevis Forest to the final section at Town Hall Brae was definitely a strange feeling especially when I thought about my dad.

"To have won a tenth SSDT title and a second for Vertigo feels amazing and is something I will remember for a long time and is hopefully in some small way a fitting tribute to my father.

"I can't thank my team enough for their support over the last few weeks both prior to the event and throughout all six days, they have played a massive part in this win.

"It's certainly been an emotional rollercoaster, but I want to come back next year and try and defend my title again, as after all the Scottish has been a big part of my life and a big part of the Lampkin family life now for well over 50 years."