SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Valdiron de Oliveira has made a habit of celebrating a qualified ride on the Built Ford Tough Series with a series of pushups alongside PBR entertainer Flint Rasmussen.
For the past month, Oliveira has been unable to do any pushups since breaking his sternum in Biloxi, Mississippi, when Whiskey bucked him off at 7.46 seconds and hit him in the chest with his horn.
“I feel good,” Oliveira said on Friday afternoon. “I rested and worked around the house. I started going to the gym five days ago. I don’t feel sore or nothing.”
Oliveira feels like he is ready after riding two practice bulls at Silvano Alves’ ranch this week. According to Oliveira, he rode one bull away from his hand and one into his hand.
“It didn’t hurt or nothing,” the 36-year-old said. “I felt strong on the two bulls. I feel good enough to ride.”
Oliveira plans on getting a couple good sets of pushups accomplished this weekend at the PFI Invitational, presented by Bass Pro Shops, at JQH Arena.
In fact, he would love to do four sets of them for four qualified rides and his second event win of 2015.
Oliviera heads into Springfield, which is the last three-day event on the 2015 schedule, on the outside of the world title race with four regular-season events remaining.
The No. 7 bull rider in the world standings trails world leader J.B. Mauney by 1,984.17 points, and he will likely need to be within 1,000 to 1,500 points to have a chance at catching Mauney at the Finals.
The World Finals event winner receives 1,000 points toward the standings and each of the six round winners in Las Vegas receives 200 points. Therefore, the most a rider could win if they were to sweep the Finals and win every round would be 2,200 points.
It is why this three-day event, and the final three regular-season events of the BFTS, will prove highly important for riders trailing Mauney and Vieira.
It will be one last effort for anyone trying to make themselves a legitimate contender for the 2015 world title by cutting down the deficit prior to the Finals.
“This is the time to be back because all of us are close and I have chance for the win too,” Oliveira said. “I have been watching those guys and I am ready.”
He made the 7-hour drive from Decatur to Springfield on Friday, and he also celebrated his daughter, Camilla’s, sixth birthday on Monday.
Oliveira, who confirmed in August he will be returning to the BFTS next season, has certainly had his share of close calls at winning the world title.
From 2008-12, Oliveira finished within the Top 5 of the world standings five consecutive seasons, including fourth three times.
Oliveira has gone 26-for-55 this season on the BFTS and his 47.22 percent riding average is his highest since 2012 (60.92 percent) when he finished fourth in the world standings.
Back surgery in 2012 put an end to his string of success, and Oliveira had only shown glimpses of his prior self in the past two years.
This year had been different and he hadn’t missed a single BFTS event until he broke his sternum, which kept him in a Biloxi hospital overnight.
Oliveira won the Seattle BFTS event in March and it was one of his five Top-5 finishes this season. He has also placed in the Top 10 on nine occasions.
He missed three events because of the injury, but only dropped one spot and 287.5 points in the world standings.
“J.B. now is staying focused and it won’t be easy to catch him,” Oliveira said. “Sometimes I tell the guys, J.B., I don’t know why, but every year he starts riding good now.
“I will try to catch him.”
Oliveira can easily take off a chunk of those points on Friday night by riding Bruiser for a round-winning score.
It will certainly be tough seeing as Bruiser rarely gives up rides to right-handed riders (1-for-10).
However, as Kaique Pacheco showed in Guymon, Oklahoma, with a 94-point ride, it certainly isn’t impossible.
“Bruiser is a good bull and he is going to go away from my hand,” Oliveira said. “I have watched Joao, Kaique, J.B. get on him. He is a good bull. He is not too easy to ride, but I am going to ride him tonight.
“I can win the round tonight.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
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