3X Bull Riding World Champion Pursues Historic Feat Against Hometown Arizona Ridge Riders in Rodeo Finale

The PBR Team series which has had the rodeo enthusiasts wrapped for the past six weeks, is finally heading to its second last weekend. Marking its beginning in July, the season has seen little over a hundred matches so far; successfully wrapping up weekends at 6 home turfs of the persisting 8 teams. Now following along the teams will be making their way towards the Ridge Rider Days over the weekend. 

Starting from the 29th to the 1st of October it is the Arizona Ridge Riders’ time to reign. The Desert Diamond Arena, Glendale, Arizona, is prepared to welcome the best of the bull-riding world for a showdown at home. However, as the teams prep more fiercely than ever to make their place at the finals, let’s take a look back at what teams and individuals have pulled big numbers throughout the competition.

A glimpse at the top performers of the rodeo season

The Austin Gamblers have very noticeably dominated the series through the entire course of events. Bagging a 3-game win over the last weekend, the team stands atop the table with 17-5 or the scorecard. The mentioned statistics put the Gamblers nearest to winning a place in the finals scheduled in Las Vegas. The defending champions are just two more wins away from the next goal on the list. While Gamblers will go against Oklahoma Freedom who stand 4th in the table to secure a win, the team trailing behind will fight an equally fierce one.

The Kansas City Outlaws who occupy the space right below the Gamblers stand with a score of 12-10. The team on the opening night of Ridge Rider Days will go for a sturdy ground hold against the Carolina Cowboys with 10-12 who remain optimistic despite the odds. While the teams lead, they carry the exceptional performers of the season along with them.

Jose Vitor Lemme, who plays for the Gamblers holds records with his stellar performances this year. Lemme performing a walk-off against the Arizona Ridge Riders surpassed the record of the rodeo legend J.B. Mauney. With his 76th career premier series ride, Lemme has topped the MVP chart seven times of the last 8 weeks. The bull rider named MVP of the last season will look to claim back the title riding along the Gamblers in the coming matches.

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Trailing behind Lemme is yet another Brazilian with his impressive performances this year. The Kansas City’s younger star, Cassio Dias is leading the race to win the Rookie of the Year. Scoring two 90-point rides last match, Dias scored the second-highest of the event with 269 points. Heading to the Ridge Riders Days, the Three-time PBR World Champion has also held a strong presence in the season. Before heading on to the next weekend, Silvano Alves became the fourth rider to record 500 hundred rides and led team Stampede to victory on the final evening of Cowboy Days. The Champion along with the rest will next head to Arizona, his hometown.

While the teams and individuals gear up for an important match for each, the hosting team Arizona Ridge Riders doesn’t want to fall any behind.

Ridge Riders prepare for home turf

The defenders for the upcoming weekend haven’t had favorable results throughout most of the season. The team started off slow losing to Oklahoma Freedom in their opening match. The loss was further followed by a couple more. However, ironically coming up strong through the Freedom days, the Ridge Riders stood to earn fifth consecutive wins over two weekends. Becoming the only team to defeat the table-topping Austin Gamblers thrice, the performance gave the team a solid push. But the force wasn’t strong enough.

The last weekend at the Cowboy Days wasn’t as eventful as the team would have hoped for. With Sage Kimzey and Cooper Davis’ collaborative performance, the Riders were forced to lose against the Carolina Cowboys. And for the following day, the team earned a solid start handed by young Vitor Losnake who put a score of 86-point ride. But despite the youngster’s efforts, Ridge Riders fell short by 4 to win the match.

Hoping to break the negative streak, the Arizona team will be heading home with a powerful stride. Standing 6th on the table with 10-12, the Ridge Riders will take on Nashville Stampede for the night; team to Silvano Alves. The nearing end calls for stronger competition and a fastened seatbelt. The eight teams will take on each other over the weekend leading the way to a possible first finalist.

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