PUEBLO, CO - The Professional Bull Riders Blue DEF Velocity Tour debuts at iWireless Center in Moline, IL with athletes from around the world that will be competing June 13 for one night of exciting bull riding action.
Headlining the competition is Matt Triplett, who is currently ranked second in the PBR World Standings. Also competing are Built Ford Tough Series veterans Valdiron de Oliveira, Cody Nance, Reese Cates, and Robson Palermo. Quad Cities fans will also get to see upcoming PBR stars Luis Blanco, Jordan Hupp, and Bonner Bolton compete.
The event starts at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 13. Tickets are on sale now, starting at $15, and are available at the iWireless Center box office, by phone at 800-745-3000, and www.ticketmaster.com.
The BlueDEF Velocity Tour provides an opportunity for riders to compete in PBR-sanctioned events to earn points towards qualifying for the nationally-televised Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS), which is comprised of the Top 35 bull riders in the world. The Velocity Tour is part of the PBR's international tour schedule and there's nothing minor-league about it. These are young men dreaming of the big time. To make it, they have to get past some of the most famous bucking bulls in the sport and superstar veterans looking to stand in their way.
Winners of each BDVT event in 2015 also will be guaranteed a minimum of one opportunity to compete at a BFTS regular season event in an attempt to win enough points to rank among the Top 35 bull riders in the world and earn a spot on the elite tour.
Moline will be the 18th stop of 24 on the 2015 PBR BlueDEF Velocity Tour. The tour kicked off in Clovis, New Mexico at the L.J. Jenkins Invitational on Oct. 31, 2014. As the last event of the BDVT season, the BDVT Finals will take place two weeks prior to the PBR World Finals each year and offer a total purse of $100,000.
The overall winner of the BDVT season will be the rider who earns the most world points at the BDVT level. He will receive $50,000 and qualify to compete at the PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals.
Visit PBR LIVE for details about watching online streams of the 2015 BlueDEF Velocity Tour season.
The premier bull riding organization in the world began as a dream of 20 bull riders 23 years ago and is now a global sports phenomenon. PBR broadcasts reach more than half a billion households in 50 nations and territories around the world, and more than 2.5 million fans attend live events each year. The PBR features the Top 35 bull riders in the world and the top bulls in the business. Three circuits, the televised Built Ford Tough Series, the BlueDEF Velocity Tour and the Touring Pro Division, have paid more than $140 million in earnings to its athletes. Twenty-seven men have earned more than $1 million, including three-time World Champion Silvano Alves who, in just 54 months, won more than $5.2 million to become the richest bull rider in history. 2013 World Champion J.B. Mauney and two-time World Champion Justin McBride have also surpassed $5.1 million in earnings. For more information on the PBR, go to PBR.com, or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/PBR, Twitter at Twitter.com/PBR, and YouTube at YouTube.com/PBR.
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