Word: rider
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...dear life. "People want to see a big bad som'bitch hoof the s___ out of somebody," says Jerry Nelson, a top bull owner. "They want to see a little blood and guts." They're usually not disappointed: 1 in 15 rides results in an injury to the rider. In 2000, one rider died in the ring...
Perhaps the smartest thing the tour did was to recognize that the bulls, not the riders, are the stars. Fans show up to see the fiercest bovine in the land. The tour promotes the bulls with merchandise like T shirts, dolls and bobbleheads, which sell better than any rider-themed goods. (The first bull to sign an autograph will make a killing.) "The bulls should be more famous than us," says two-time champ Adriano Moraes. "They're better athletes." They also have better names, which reflect their personalities. Bodacious, a bull who died in 2000, was the Babe Ruth...
...terrifying as it can be to climb aboard an irate bull, riders want the beasts plenty riled up. The bull's performance counts for half the rider's score--out of a possible 100 points--and the harder it bucks the better. Indeed, what separates a star bull from the herd is his ability to get bucky on demand. Each year the bulls are shuttled to dozens of events from California to Connecticut, and one never knows how they will emerge from the ride. "Everywhere we go, the hay and the grain might taste a little different," says Cody Lambert...
...rider, who asks to be identified only as Michel, says his fondest memories are of the 'incomparable euphoria of strength and power I'd get finding myself at the head of a tired and flagging pack, knowing I was about to pull away and ride to victory' ... Last year Michel, who is 25, underwent several weeks of specialized detoxification treatment for cocaine and heroin addiction developed during his racing career ... 'I first began using cortisone to work through injury pain. But because cortisone eats muscle, I began taking testosterone and nandrolone in the off-season to get it back faster...
...stop and reverse, twist your wrist to turn-the latest models (the i2 and off-road x2) respond like they're controlled by mere thought. The secret is in its new control shaft, which has done away with the steering grip and now sways in sync with the rider to turn the device. The effect is akin to skiing, on cement...