Michael Lane, Professional Bull Rider & Rodeo Athlete

Ahead of PBR Tryon, we caught up with professional bull rider Michael Lane to learn more about his career and history as a longtime rodeo athlete. Fans can look forward to seeing this past PBR Tryon champ competing at Tryon International once again on August 28th and 29th! Keep reading to hear more about Michael Lane’s life as a professional bull rider.

Q: Tell us about your history and career as a bull rider. 
A: I’m blessed to say that I’ve had a very long career. I’ve been a professional bull rider for eighteen years — I started at the age of four riding sheep. I went from sheep riding to calf riding to mini bull riding, and when I turned eighteen I had the main focus on being a professional bull rider. 

Q: Have you always been an east coast-based bull rider? 
A: I grew up in Virginia, and once I graduated high school I moved to North Carolina to pursue my dream and chase professional bull riding harder. North Carolina is home for me now, and I’ve lived here for the past eighteen years. 

Michael Lane competing at PBR Tryon in 2024.
©Tryon International

Q: You’ve made several appearances at PBR Tryon over the years, and ended up splitting the win during our event in 2025. Tell us about your history and past wins at this particular event. 
A: Last year’s [win] was such a milestone for me within that year. I competed at the PBR World Finals prior to that, and broke six ribs and collapsed a lung. [After that injury] I was going to be out for potentially six months, and at that time, PBR Tryon was six weeks away. I wanted that to be my comeback. I’m lucky enough to say that I was healthy enough to compete [at PBR Tryon] — I had a rough round one, but I came back in round two, made a good ride, and ended up splitting the win there. 

Q: Tryon International is not the typical bull riding venue that you usually see on tour. Year after year, what’s been your favorite part about competing at PBR Tryon?
A: It’s a real quality event on the east coast. For me, I think it’s one of the best events for us to go to all summer long. It is in my home state, and it’s such a nice venue to go compete at. There’s a lot of great things there, we love to go see the horses compete during the day before we ride. It’s a great venue, normally with great weather as well. 

Q: From an athlete’s perspective what is the atmosphere like at PBR Tryon?
A: Being that it’s in my home state, it’s a little more laid back. Keeping my composure and staying focused on the task at hand is crucial for me coming into PBR Tryon. Being that it is this close [to home] I have to realize that I’ve still got a job to do and I have to show up and do my job. 

Michael Lane preparing inside the chute in round one and taking on his championship round bull during PBR Tryon 2025.
©Tryon International

Q: How do you prepare to compete, in the days before and right before the chute swings open? 
A: All of that has changed throughout my career — if you’re not changing, you’re not going to get different results. I have two daughters and a day job as well, still competing as a professional bull rider every weekend, so I have a lot going on. For most of my career, I spent a lot of time in the gym, doing hot yoga, cryotherapy, ice baths, epsom salt baths, and doing everything I can to maintain a healthy body so I can keep up the longevity of my career. 

Now that my day job is part time, I have the rest of the season to focus back on my body and my health for my bull riding career. I also have a Buckrite, which simulates the moves that we need to be making on the back of the bull. I often tell people that in bull riding, you’re not able to think about it — you just have to react. So I need my body to be reacting to everything that I’m doing in the moment. 

The day of, I wake up that morning and know it’s game day. I have a routine that I stick to. If you’re winning, and you can repeat those things, keep repeating them. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. I try and keep the same routine — I think consistent actions bring consistent results, and I keep a calm mind. The day of the event, there’s nothing I can do in that moment that’s going to change things besides controlling my mind and staying out of my own way. 

Q: Coming off of your recent round win at the 2026 PBR World Finals, how did this set the tone for the remainder of the 2026 season? 
A: [That round win] was such a blessing. I had worked so hard to have those opportunities. I got that at the last minute, and was able to go and capitalize on those moments. Bull riding is all momentum, so when you’re winning and riding good, you do all you can to keep that momentum flowing throughout the year. With that being said, I had grinded a lot, and after that big win I took some time off and spent a few weeks with my daughters on vacation. That’s how I celebrated — just simply family time, and then got back to the grind. 

Michael Lane behind the chutes at WCRA Rodeo Tryon in 2023.
©Shannon Brinkman

Q: For those who haven’t attended a PBR event, what’s the best part of the PBR fan experience? 
A: At every PBR event, a fan receives a Fan of the Night belt buckle. If I was a fan, that would make me want to be there. [Bull riding] is like no other sport. We don’t know what the bull is going to do when the gate swings open, and neither do the fans. Thirty different times throughout a night, we all get surprised, whether we’re going to see a great ride or a great wreck. As a fan, that keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. 

Behind the scenes and what fans don’t get to see, and what I think is the coolest part of professional bull riding, is the camaraderie that we have in the locker room. As a fan, you see us competing against each other. We see it as us against the bulls, and we have to do our job before anything else. It’s such a dangerous sport that we want to see everyone win at. My mentality is that there’s enough winning to go around for everybody. I like to see everyone win, and that’s what the camaraderie in our locker room is like as well. 

Q: Can we expect to see you competing at PBR Tryon this year? 
A: Yes, it’s on my schedule for 2026. I’m looking to come back and pull another W. 

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