Michael Lane is a Virginia boy, and he’ll be back home this weekend when the Pro Bull Riding tour stops at the EagleBank Arena in Fairfax – but as he told Chris Russell this week, he’s not coming home for a vacation and a homecoming, he’s here to work.
“It’s definitely that we’re not on vacation or for sightseeing, we’re there for a purpose – we have to do our jobs just like anyone else,” Lane said. “It shows my two kids that you have to have a focus at what you want to do in life and can’t be just about fun. But, I definitely go and enjoy the lake and the simple life with my family when I can.”
If you’ve never seen a PBR event or bull riding in general, it’s definitely a sport where you have to always expect the unexpected, and Lane
“In other sports there’s plays being called and coaches have an idea of what could happen, but with us, it’s unpredictable. No one knows what’s going to happen when the gate opens, including us,” Lane said. “It keeps the spectators on the edge of their seats; with 30 different guys throughout the night, each one could be a different outcome – you don’t know if it’s going to be a wreck or a great outcome.”
Just like other sports, though, bull riding has evolved from what people simply think is “hold on for up to eight seconds.”
“It’s definitely more of a lifestyle and a love for the sport - if you didn’t love this, you wouldn’t put your body through what it takes to do this,” Lane said. “IT does take a lot of time outside the arena to prep. Ten years ago you could just be a tough cowboy that wouldn’t take no for an answer, but nowadays, you have to be a professional athlete and put in the hours of work and managing your body and health.”
That preparation during the week for a weekend event includes a lot of physical and mental prep, and Lane says he spends ‘a lifetime’ in the gym and does a lot of conditioning on an electric barrel that simulates a bull to get him prepared for anything while he’s on the ride.
“It’s definitely a lot of muscle memory,” Lane said. “You have to teach your mind what it’s doing before you do it; if you think the bull is going to go left or go right, you’re going to hit the dirt.”
Take a listen above to the full interview, as Lane explains a lot of the technique and finesse of bull riding, how he got into the sport professionally and balances family life with his career, and much more!
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