Rodeo: Bikes to bulls, no bother for Oamaru cowboy

Connor Sandri, of Oamaru, holds on tight as he competes in the second-division bull ride at the Waimate Rodeo yesterday. Photo: Daniel Birchield

Whether it has four legs or two wheels, Oamaru's Connor Sandri is proving he can handle both.

The 20-year-old competed in the second-division bull ride at the 62nd annual Waimate Rodeo at the Waimate A&P Showgrounds yesterday, part of his first full season on the South Island rodeo circuit after he took part in a handful of events last season.

While he was unable to hold on for the required eight seconds this time, Sandri was content with his effort.

"It's not as well as I was hoping but it's a bit different every ride. You don't know what bull you're going to to get. There was one little thing I slipped up on and didn't quite get to eight seconds."

Bull riding is something of a change of pace for Sandri, a former New Zealand under-19 downhill mountain-biking champion who rode in four UCI World Cup events in Australia, Scotland, Austria and Switzerland in 2016.

He got involved in bull riding after being encouraged to take up the sport by a friend in Dunedin who breeds bulls used in rodeo.

Sandri said his first couple of rides were "a blur".

"It's hard to explain unless you've hopped on one. It's just a complete rush and I guess there's lots of little things to think about too. It's just a cool feeling."

He believed his mountain-biking experience, particularly the balance and mental preparation aspects, had helped him in bull riding.

He planned to stick with bull riding for now and had no immediate plans to jump back on a mountain bike.

"I've been taking a bit of a break from it ... I'm not sure if I'll go back, to be honest. I don't have any real plans to at the moment."

Rakaia's Adam Williams won the open bareback category and Ross Dowling, of Havelock North, claimed the open saddle bronc.