Pressure cooker

By Keith Ryan Cartwright
Posted Friday, May 7, 2010

PUEBLO, Colo. (May 6, 2010) - Every bull rider on the Built Ford Tough Series expects to make the whistle every time he nods his head for the gate.

For the few atop the world standings, there’s a heightened sense of expectation.

“You get to feel that attention that’s there,” said Austin Meier, who was the No. 1 rider for three weeks, until Renato Nunes surpassed him in Billings, Mont. “It can be pressure.”

After 18 events there have been six different leaders – Guilherme Marchi, J.B. Mauney, Travis Briscoe, Valdiron de Oliveira, Meier and Nunes. None have held the lead for more than three weeks in a row.

“As tight as the race is, if you’re going to be successful in the No. 1 spot, you’re just going to have to take it as it is and keep the game simple, which is what I tried to do,” Meier explained.

“Realizing that as tight as this race is, you might not be there for more than one week … and if you get bumped off, you can always come back.”

When Meier was knocked from the top spot two weeks ago, he fell from first to third after going 0-for-3. He came into Billings leading by 108.25 points, and left 656 points behind.

“That’s something you (have) to deal with and just not think about it,” Meier said.

However, this past week in Des Moines, Iowa, Meier eclipsed Briscoe and moved into second place, with 173.5 points separating the two.

At this point, no lead is comfortable.

“I have a little pressure,” Nunes admitted, “but I know I need to ride the same if I’m No. 2, No. 1 or No. 30. I have to keep riding bulls and try to stay on.

“The best thing is to not be scared – like scared to fall off. You need to try and stay on. Don’t worry about if you’re No. 1 or No. 2.”

Nunes had unofficially taken the lead after the first of three long rounds in Albuquerque, N.M., but Meier moved in by winning the event.

In hindsight, Nunes looks at the situation as a learning experience.

“The first time I got to No. 1, there was pressure,” he said, “but now it’s the second time I got to No. 1, and I feel better.”

This weekend, Nunes, Meier and Briscoe are all mathematically capable of leaving Wichita, Kan., as the No. 1 rider in the world. Ryan McConnel and Mauney could ride their way to within 100 points of the lead, and Robson Palermo, Marchi or Mike Lee could take the lead in the next two weeks.

Meier is hoping to be the second man to climb to the top for a second time in 2010.

“I’m after that No. 1 spot,” he said.

NEWS and NOTES

PBR NOW on RFD-TV: Hosted by J.W. Hart and Justin McBride, “PBR NOW” is a weekly live one-hour TV series that airs every Thursday on RFD-TV at 10 p.m. ET. Fans are encouraged to call a new number – 877-731-6733 – or send questions to a new email address: pbrnowshow@pbrnow.com.

Event Center: Follow all the action from this week’s BFTS event in Wichita, Kan., by logging on to www.pbr.com and entering the “Event Center,” which is accessible from the tab located at the top of the main Web page. The Event Center provides live scoring, live blogging and event-related Podcasts and interviews.