PBR Velocity Tour In Denver Brought the Heat Awarding One Bull Rider Nearly $20,000

Headed into the second to last round as the underdog, Alan de Souza showed true cowboy grit and came out on top after three rounds of PBR action in the Denver Coliseum.

A green light illuminates audience members hats as they watch the second day PBR Gambler Days at the Moody Center in Austin, Saturday Aug. 24, 2024. Gambler Days is part of Professional Bull Riding's World Team Series, where teams of riders compete against other teams by adding their scores together, if they manage to stay on the bull for more than eight seconds. | Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Only 90 of the best bull riders were invited to attend the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour(PWVT), Denver PBR Chute out at the National Western earlier this week.

This event format was unlike many past stops PBR hosted because it was midweek; however, that didn't stop these athletes from bringing the heat to the Denver Coliseum. 

Dividing the 90 competitors into two groups, each athlete would get one attempt to cover the bull on either Monday or Tuesday night. Of those 90, only 30 would advance to the final round on Wednesday night—advancing would depend on whether their ride scored high enough to keep their name on the leaderboard and stay in the top 30 available spots.  

While this might seem like another stop on the road, it was anything but.  For these bull riders, points for the Velocity Global and Unleash The Beast tours were on the line. 

Alan de Souza, a Brazilian bull rider, would claim his 21st event win in the PBR. This cowboy has some impressive stats. With over 300 outs during his time in the organization, he's covered over half of them with a ride percentage of 56%. He's had three 90-point rides and is ranked 13th with 186 points.

On night one (1/13), Souza drew a bull from Frihauf Cattle Co, Revival. This was the bull's second in the PBR, his first being in August of '24. While Souza covered the bull, they only scored 72.5 points for their eight seconds together.

Ultimately, the 72.5-point score would be enough for the Brazilian cowboy to advance, but he was not in the highest seat heading into the final evening. He walked into the coliseum on Wednesday night(1/15), sitting 24th out of 30.

That evening, 30 athletes looked to declare their spot for the chute-out round, from which only 15 would advance. 

During his first and what could've been his only round of the night, Desouza and the four-legged animal athlete beneath him, Renegade (Rodosky / Lovell / Punke / McCoy Rodeo), ensured his fate to advance as they scored 86 points, putting him at the number 6 spot. 

Laser-focused on potentially winning the chute out, he settled in his bull. The chute opened, and he gave the crowd an electrifying ride. Souza and Dialed In from Wilson Rodeo put 84 points and the winning ride on the leaderboard. 

With a check for $19,979.97 and 112 points to help in the Velocity Global and world standings, Alan de Souza had a successful few days in Denver and is headed to the next PBR stop!