Friday night will effectively close the summer break for the top professional bull riders in the world.

Some of the PBR’s elite riders spent the better part of the past eight weeks resting and rehabbing after 20 consecutive weeks of competing on the Built Ford Tough Series, while others used the time as an opportunity to compete in the Touring Pro Division.

The five top-ranked riders in the world – Renato Nunes, Austin Meier, Travis Briscoe, Guilherme Marchi and Robson Palermo – all used the time differently.

Nunes, Marchi and Palermo all traveled home to Brazil. Nunes competed sparingly in a few events, while Marchi rehabbed from surgery to his riding hand, and Palermo made the trip only after tearing his biceps at a lower-level event in Bastrop, Texas.

Meier, who has led the standings on three occasions, took the time to spend with family and work around his ranch in Oklahoma. Briscoe used the eight weeks to rest his injured knees before making a run at this year’s world title.

“There are a lot of different ways to approach the game, and I don’t know that it’s for me to say,” said Ty Murray, who was asked if any one approach is better than another. “I felt like I could take time off from riding and come back and pick up right where I left off. I see other guys who tend to get rusty, and other guys that a rest makes them better.

“They are in the prime of their careers and they are professional bull riders at the highest level.”

Murray’s comments were recorded in his weekly Podcast, which can be accessed by logging onto www.pbr.tv and selecting the “Final Word” tab on the left-hand column.

The nine-time World Champion also spoke about his anticipation of the final 10 BFTS events, the upcoming Final Five Chase and the impact of both on the ensuing World Finals.

“Everything indicates that it’s going to be a great, deep race,” Murray said, “but trying to predict this is just impossible. It goes back to I really thought we were going to see the Kody Lostroh and J. B. Mauney battle continue through this year, and I think we’ve all been surprised with that.”

NEWS and NOTES

An online first: This weekend, for the first time in PBR history, each day of a regular-season BFTS event will be covered live online.

All three days of action from the Express Classic in Tulsa, Okla., will be available live at www.pbr.tv and www.versus.com. Fans who can’t catch the live event will be able to watch the event later on demand at pbr.tv.

Online coverage will feature the live in-arena feed from the event, including every ride as called by announcers Brandon Bates and Clint Adkins, along with comedy stylings of Flint Rasmussen and other live event activities as they happen.

TV Coverage of Tulsa on Versus: Versus will be airing a special one-hour show on Friday, July 30 at 9 p.m. ET, and re-airing it on Saturday, July 31 at 8 p.m. ET. The show will feature the best action from Tulsa along with a review of the season and a look ahead to the rest of the year.

— by Keith Ryan Cartwright