PUEBLO, Colo. – It hasn’t been the season Austin Richardson has wanted.
After a lackluster PBR Team Series season that saw him go just 2-for-20 (10%) to close out 2022, Richardson didn’t start 2023 as he customarily would on the Unleash The Beast. He was back on the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour and had to work his way back up, which he successfully did.
He won the Spokane Classic in mid-January and followed that up with a third-place finish at the Reno Rumble before rejoining the premier series in Indianapolis in late January, finishing fourth.
“I kind of had a rough start. I had to regroup and start from the Velocities and come back up,” Richardson said at the PBR SoCal Showdown in Los Angeles. “Kind of slowly but surely, but I’ve been working out and doing everything I can to progress and ride all my bulls each weekend.”
Richardson had primarily competed on the premier series since 2021, and finding himself anywhere else was a jarring experience.
“From the past two years, me being consecutive on the Unleash The Beast, it kind of…,” he trailed off, chuckling. “It kind of humbled me really quick. But it just made me work harder for it, put a fire in me that I know I belong here with the best riders in the world, and I know I have all the capabilities to ride each and every one of these bulls. To get knocked back down, I think, just fueled my fire more.”
However, Richardson was knocked out of competition due to an injury suffered in Los Angeles, where he still managed a sixth-place finish. He was sidelined for a month, returning in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in late March.
Richardson has since won the PBR Stockyards Showcase Touring Pro Division event in Fort Worth and finished fourth at the PBR Gem State Bucking Battle in Nampa, Idaho, immediately afterward. But he simply hasn’t been the same rider this past month, going 1-for-7 since then.
He did finish the season ranked No. 38 in the Unleash The Beast standings, qualifying for his fourth PBR World Finals on May 12-21 in Fort Worth, Texas.
He also finished No. 13 in the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour standings and first heads to the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour Finals on May 5-6 in Corpus Christi, Texas. Richardson will face Bolo (24-3, all levels) in Round 1 (May 5 at 8:30 p.m. ET on RidePass on Pluto TV).
“The first bull’s always a confidence booster because it just sets up your whole weekend,” Richardson said. “If you buck off one coming into the weekend, you feel like it’s already over. But now, riding my first bull going into the next round, you’ve just got to keep the pace going and ride that one in the short round. Everything else will work out.”
While any points earned at the Velocity Finals won’t count towards the Unleash The Beast standings and, therefore, the world title race, earning a buckle in Corpus Christi would go a long way in providing a much-needed boost of momentum.
For his part, Richardson has kept his routine as consistent as possible, knowing that hard work brings rewards.
“I’ve just been keeping the same way,” Richardson said. “I train like a boxer – jump rope, run, ride a bicycle, and just try to stay lean and watch my diet. I haven’t really changed much. If I keep on working out, and I do all my workouts and stuff like that, whatever I put into it, I’ll get out of it. I know that, and I’m just staying consistent with it.”
Though his season certainly hasn’t been ideal, Richardson is making the most of the hand he’s been dealt. His mindset is positive, and Corpus Christi will be just one more step on his journey.
“Everybody wants fast success, but this is what we live for, and it kind of creates your story when you get knocked back down and where you had to come from to get where you’re at,” Richardson said. “This is my story, I’m living in it, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. It is frustrating to get knocked down, but you’ve just got to keep a clear mind and work harder for it, and everything else will work out great.”
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
