PUEBLO, Colo. – Cody Teel finally got the ride he had been yearning for all season long. Now the question becomes is there enough time for Teel to achieve the gold buckle he desires.
Teel’s career-high 92.25-point ride on Spotted Demon this past weekend at the DEWALT Guaranteed Tough Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, in Nampa, Idaho, propelled him to his second win of 2018.
The No. 5 rider in the world standings is now within 2,380 points of world leader Kaique Pacheco with the 2018 World Finals set for Nov. 7-11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
It is still a very large deficit, but it is not insurmountable.
The reality is that Teel will likely need to win the World Finals event average (1,500 world points) in a few weeks if he has any hope of running down Pacheco in the standings.
“It feels great having momentum going in there,” Teel said. “That is what bull riding is. Momentum and taking advantage of opportunities. I just hope to keep it going.”
The last two PBR World Finals event winners – Jose Vitor Leme and Ryan Dirteater – rode all six of their bulls and earned 2,532.5 and 2,077.91 points toward the world standings.
“The thing about Finals and Vegas is everyone has an opportunity to win with the bulls,” Teel said. “The opportunity is there. You just have to take advantage of it. They are going to do drafts again. You have to pick big and win rounds. That is what it boils down to. If you want to win the $1 million, you just have to go all out. That is how I am approaching it. Just try and win rounds.”
Teel could potentially be a dormant volcano ready to erupt in Las Vegas.
The 2012 PRCA champion went 8-for-10 in 2013 and 2015 to win two Wrangler National Finals Rodeo event titles before switching over to ride in the PBR full time in 2017.
Even though Teel went 2-for-5 at his first PBR World Finals last season, he has proven capable of elevating his game in Las Vegas.
“Kaique is going to be leading, and there is a lot of ground to make up,” Teel said. “For me to have a statement ride like that, that is what I have been wanting. That is the biggest score I have ever had. That is what I have been digging for and striving for. I know I am capable of it.”
2002 World Finals event winner and CBS Sports Network analyst J.W. Hart said Teel’s ride on Spotted Demon will give Teel an added boost heading into the World Finals.
“That is just what you do in them championship rounds,” Hart said. “Come in there and you pick the toughest one you think you can get by and win the go-rounds. He does just that. Shook him loose right around there, but he gathers him back up. This is such a good bull ride and such a great confidence booster to go into those World Finals and be that hot guy. You talk about the spoiler that can come between Kaique and those other guys to win a world title. This is a guy that can win the World Finals.”
Teel has admitted this season has not lived up to his own expectations.
The second-year rider is 31-for-66 (46.97 percent) with two victories and six Top-5 finishes.
Teel’s riding percentage would likely be over 50 percent if not having to undergo left ankle surgery in March. He also may have been the No. 1 bull rider in the world.
The Kountze, Texas, cowboy was ranked eighth in the world standings at the time of his injury and was 19-for-35 (54.29 percent) with five Top-5 finishes.
He trailed then-world No. 1 Ramon de Lima by 480.84 points.
Teel is 12-for-31 (38.71 percent) since the injury on the premier series.
“To be a World Champion, you have to be consistent, and I have not done that,” Teel said. “That is what it takes. You have to do it every weekend. As high as a high you feel now, tomorrow morning it doesn’t matter. Next weekend it all starts over. It doesn’t matter what you did yesterday. The bulls don’t care. No one cares. You just have to show up and keep doing it every weekend. Week in and week out.
“That is part of the grind of the PBR. You can’t get too high. You can’t get too low. You have to keep moving forward.”
Teel is shifting his focus to the Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour this weekend.
He currently has zero points in the Velocity Tour standings and is ineligible to ride at the Velocity Tour Finals.
One rider can earn a maximum of 440 world points at the Velocity Tour Finals.
However, a victory this weekend in Colorado Springs, Colorado, would put Teel in a tie for 30th in the Velocity Tour standings. The Top 30 Velocity Tour riders qualify for the Velocity Finals and the tiebreaker is overall world standing.
Pacheco has already qualified for the Velocity Tour Finals and will be competing at the Broadmoor World Arena on Friday and Saturday.
Fans can watch the final Real Time Pain Relief Velocity Tour regular-season event exclusively on RidePass beginning at 10 p.m. ET.
“That is the plan as of now,” Teel said. “I have no Velocity points. I am going to the Springs if there is a chance for me to make the Velocity Finals. There is more points and money there.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
