$150,000 lures the craziest riders

LOCAL rider Michael Cross scoffed when I said, looking for common ground, that I had been to a few rodeos in my time.

“Mate, this is no rodeo, it's a bit different to that ... once you've seen us ride you wouldn't want to go to another rodeo,” he said.

Currently ranked 28 in the country, Cross, who has lived in Bundaberg for all of his 24 years, has gained entry to the country's premier bull riding event, which takes the top 30 Australians, and 10 of the finest rider's from around the world, pitting them against each other for a combined prize pool of $150,000.

The Professional Bull Riding (PBR) Mega Month, is only in its infancy in Australia, but has really taken off.

Speaking from his central Queensland cattle property, Troy Dunn said he was extremely excited to be bringing to Australia the best bull-riding talent the world has to offer for the most lucrative series of events ever held Down Under.

“$150,000 is a huge bag of cash and it's going to be fought over by the toughest, most talented bunch of blokes the world of bull riding can possibly muster,” Dunn said.

It is the hottest slice of bovine versus human action this side of the equator, and Cross thinks he has the form to take his share of the cash.

“I've ridden about 70% of my bulls, and only had a couple of falls this season before the eight second mark,” he said.

Townsville is the initial destination, with “First Blood Friday”, a battle between the top 10 Australians and rest-of-the-world kicking things off.

“My first ride is Saturday, the top 30 will compete against the rest-of-the-world and first prize is $15,000, I think I have a shot at it, and hopefully I will improve my ranking,” Dunn said.

That ranking took a hefty blow when he shattered his femur and was forced to sit on the sidelines for a majority of 2007 while an inserted titanium rod could fuse.

“I still made it back for the finals that year, though ... once riding is in your blood you can't get it out,” he said.

Cross has been involved in many hairy moments in the ring, but credits his clowns, or “protection athletes” for keeping him safe.

“Those blokes are amazing, they don't get paid near enough, but they all just love the thrill of it,” he said.

From Townsville, the action moves to Newcastle on May 29 before travelling north to Ingham and wrapping up at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre on June 19 and 20.