PUEBLO, Colo. – There are not too many things in the sport of professional bull riding three-time World Champion Silvano Alves has yet to accomplish.
However, one surprising place Alves has yet to receive a belt buckle from is in Barretos, Brazil.
Barretos is home to the largest rodeo in Brazil – The Festa do Peao de Boiadeiro (The Cowboy’s Peasant Party).
The Festa do Peao de Boiadeiro is currently taking place this week and PBR Brazil is hosting a four-day Monster Energy PBR Brazil event starting tonight in the northern Sao Paulo city.
“All of the cowboys from Brazil dream to ride in Barretos,” Alves said. “They also dream to win Barretos. I never won Barretos. I won all the big rodeos in Brazil, but not in Barretos.”
Alves is one of seven Built Ford Tough Series riders heading south of the United States during this weekend’s BFTS break.
Joining Alves is world leader Joao Ricardo Vieira, 2008 World Champion Guilherme Marchi, standout rookie Kaique Pacheco, Tyler Harr and Dave Mason.
Nance posted a photo on Instagram stating his excitement.
Nance wrote, “Headed to Barretos, Brazil. #SOOEXCITED.”
Mason has never competed in Brazil and the Bulahdelah, Australia, bull rider is also excited for this weekend.
Mason was told by 1998 PBR World Champion Troy Dunn to make sure he competed in Barretos at least once in his career.
“It is just another experience,” Mason said. “It is somewhere new. That is why we come to the (United) States to start with. It is another one to check off the bucket list.”
Mason made his American-debut in 2011 at the San Antonio Touring Pro Division event.
He later added, “I don’t speak any of their language (Portuguese), so it will be tough to find my bull. Other than that, we just do what we do and it is another day in the office.”
The Monster Energy PBR Brazil event begins tonight and concludes on Sunday afternoon. It is the 2016 season-kickoff event for PBR Brazil after crowning their 2015 champion (Luciano de Castro) last weekend.
“I will use this time for me to further learn from these men, who are my idols in this sport,” Castro told PBRbrazil.com. “Maybe soon I’ll see my name in the world rankings next to them.”
One of those idols is Alves.
Castro won Alves’ event in July and impressed the reigning World Champion.
Alves debuted in Barretos in 2005. He was 17 years old at the time and was five years away from making his BFTS debut on American soil.
The now-27-year-old recalled his first experience at Barretos this past weekend in Nashville, Tennessee.
“It was very exciting the first time I went to Barretos because it was such a big rodeo,” Alves said. “Me, being a young guy, I was very excited to riding bulls there.”
Alves compared Barretos to riding at the Built Ford Tough World Finals.
“Yeah, it is like Vegas,” he said. “It is not the same, but it similar. There is like 60,000 people that sit and watch you.”
He added that it is important for not only him, but for other riders, such as Mason, Nance and Harr, to go and compete in Brazil.
Alves appreciates his fellow riders making the trip to Brazil, especially because many Brazilian fans cannot make it to the United States to attend a PBR event.
“It will be different down there, but it will be good,” Alves said.
He later concluded that he still aspires to one day be a champion in Barretos.
“My dream in the long term is to win in Barretos,” Alves concluded. “For now, it is OK.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko.
© 2015 PBR Inc. All rights reserved.