Bull riders encounter parking problem
Cowboys invade Big Apple to preview the PBR finals
NEW YORK – Setting up a bull-riding arena in the middle of Times Square wasn’t that difficult.
Finding parking nearby was.
Professional Bull Riders held a competition on the streets of the Big Apple on Friday, hauling in about 50,000 pounds of steel and just as much dirt to bring the cowboys to the city. One crew member had to drive around New York for five hours Thursday until it was time to unload an equipment truck because the PBR couldn’t find anywhere to stash a 40-foot trailer in midtown Manhattan.
Spectators crowded around the temporary arena to watch 10 of the world’s top riders take on the bucking bulls. Others craned their necks to follow the action as it was beamed onto one of the giant screens above Times Square.
This tourist attraction is accustomed to oddities – it is, after all, home to the “Naked Cowboy,” who plays the guitar wearing only underwear, boots and a hat. But as one local office worker said of Friday’s festivities, “This is pretty far out there on the weirdness rankings.”
A group of animal rights activists protested while event workers held up a PBR banner between them and the CBS broadcast stage. Sirens blared nearby as the first rider, Silvano Alves, got ready to challenge Bandalero.
He and four other riders were bucked off as they competed for bonus points heading into next week’s World Finals in Las Vegas.