ST. LOUIS, Miss. – As the 2026 PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT) season got underway this weekend in St Louis, Missouri, Kade Madsen (Honeyville, Utah) was unstoppable, securing the first event win of the season – marking his first time on the dirt in more than two years.

On the brink of stardom riding for the Missouri Thunder in the separate PBR Teams league, including knocking down two big rides contributing to playoff wins in Las Vegas, the then 18-year-old Utahn announced that following the 2023 PBR Teams Championship he would be stepping away from the sport for two years to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Madsen returned to the sport he loves showing no signs of rust, back in time with his bulls.

“Kade is a special young man and an inherently talented bull rider,” said Luke Snyder, General Manager of the Missouri Thunder. “It’s nothing less than incredible to not ride for two years and snap right back like that to win the Velocity tour season opener.”

The 20-year-old back from his career pause first put himself on the leaderboard in Round 1 Saturday night for a solid 85.45 points aboard Feeds Red River, sharing first place with Afonso Quintino (Sao Luis dos Montes Belos, Brazil). 

As the animal athletes of the PBR showcased their power and agility throughout the second round, the faithful Utah cowboy was no match for Julian 93K, thrown to the dirt after a mere 2.22 seconds.

Despite his Round 2 buck off, Madsen didn’t falter and found his unshakeable determination to make the eight aboard Scruggs in the championship round. He was scored 88.7 points, top in the short round to secure the event win.

Madsen netted 131 Velocity Global points and will be eligible to compete at the Unleash The Beast, PBR Boston Jan 2-3 at TD Garden.

“Keep your eye on Kade,” said PBR Commissioner and CEO Sean Gleason. “He’s got his head on straight, and its centered right over the bull’s shoulders.”

Velocity Global points contribute to the Velocity Global Standings and determine which new riders are added to the elite Unleash The Beast throughout the season. The Top 3 Velocity Global riders who have not already qualified are also invited to the PBR World Finals in May.

Lucas Divino (Nova Crixas, Brazil) followed in second place for the weekend at Enterprise Center.

Divino, who rides for the Austin Gamblers in the PBR Teams League, was paired with Hi Jinx in Round 1, where the bovine conquered the matchup, bucking him off at 7.13 seconds. 

He then set his sights on Round 2 where The Jungle was no match for his seasoned talent, scoring 83.95 points and placing sixth in the round.

Laser-focused as he entered the final round for the weekend, Divino burst from the chutes aboard Sizmagraf, besting his previous ride, scoring 86.25 points.

Divino collected 82 Velocity Global points for his 2-for-3 efforts. 

Third place for the weekend went to Quintino, who shared the Round 1 victory with Madsen after conquering his opening night pairing with Husky for 85.45-points. 

The 28-year-old athlete then hoped to keep the momentum going in the second round aboard Doc Majestic. However, the powerful bull flung him to the dirt after just 2.85 seconds. 

Heading into the championship round, Quintino, seeking to advance his place on the leaderboard, made the whistle aboard Big Choppa scoring 81.55 points. 

For his third-place finish, Quintino earned 76 Velocity Global points. 

Veteran PBR athlete Eli Vastbinder (Statesville, North Carolina) ended up fourth for the weekend.

In Saturday’s Round 1, he was paired with Hollow Point and was successful in the matchup with an exhilarating 84.80-point ride.

In the opening round on Sunday afternoon, Vastbinder went 2-for-2, scoring 80.05 points on Still Flyin’ Crazy  to secure his spot in the final round. He was paired with Up The Ante, who bucked off Vastbinder after just 2.94 seconds. 

For his efforts, Vastbinder collected 46.5 Velocity Global points.

Rounding out the Top 5 at Enterprise Center, was Jeferson Silva (Pontese Lacerda, Brazil).

In Round 1, he launched from the chutes making quick work of LP’s Hitman Harris,. scoring 81.65 points.

In Round 2, Silva was paired with Gucci Time, who the 22-year-old cowboy successfully rode for 80.05 points.

As Silva entered the championship round, paired with Big Lean, he couldn’t keep the momentum going, thrown to the dirt after 6.89 seconds.

The talented bull riders of the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour will next head to Albany, New York, for PBR Albany at MVP Arena Dec. 12-13. 

PBR St. Louis – Enterprise Center

St. Louis, Missouri

Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points)

1. Kade Madsen, 85.45-0-88.7-174.15-131 Points.

2. Lucas Divino, 0-83.95-86.25-170.20-82 Points.

3. Afonso Quintino, 85.45-0-81.55-167.00-76 Points.

4. Eli Vastbinder, 84.8-80.05-0-164.85-46.5 Points.

5. Jeferson Silva, 81.65-80.05-0-161.70-38.5 Points.

6. João Ricardo Vieira, 0-88.25-0-88.25-40 Points.

7. João Henrique Lucas, 85.4-0-0-85.40-23 Points.

8. Dalton Rudman, 0-85.1-0-85.10-22 Points.

(tie). Logan Biever, 0-85.1-0-85.10-22 Points.

10. Miguel de Jesus, 0-84.7-0-84.70-18 Points.

11. Mason Taylor, 0-84.55-0-84.55-16 Points.

12. Christian Clay Oliveira, 84.5-0-0-84.50-15 Points.

13. Dalton Allred, 83.65-0-0-83.65-14 Points.

(tie). Manoelito de Souza Junior, 0-83.65-0-83.65-13 Points.

15. Jason Landing, 0-83.3-0-83.30-12 Points.

16. Douglas Lino de Souza, 82.95-0-0-82.95-13 Points.

17. Michael Lane, 0-80.45-0-80.45-11 Points.

18. Chase Wimer, 80.05-0-0-80.05-11 Points.

19. Gavin Creviston, 65.7-0-0-65.70-2 Points.

Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-0-0-0.00

Grayson Cole, 0-0-0-0.00

Conner Halverson, 0-0-0-0.00

Zane Cook, 0-0-0-0.00

Trace Redd, 0-0-0-0.00

Wyatt Rogers, 0-0-0-0.00

Jaxton Mortensen, 0-0-0-0.00

Andy Guzman, 0-0-0-0.00

Guthrie Long, 0-0-0-0.00

Brandon Chambers, 0-0-0-0.00

Dustin Herman, 0-0-0-0.00

Brody Robinson, 0-0-0-0.00

Alex Marcilio, 0-0-0-0.00

Max Castro, 0-0-0-0.00

Lucas Martins Costa, 0-0-0-0.00

Justice Forsythe, 0-0-0-0.00

Dylan Smith, 0-0-0-0.00

Darnell Bahe, 0-0-0-0.00

Marco Eguchi, 0-0-0-0.00

Dione de Souza Ribeiro, 0-0-0-0.00

Ayslan Jeferson, 0-0-0-0.00

Photo courtesy of Bull Stock Media