The chucks are ready to roll for another year at the Calgary Stampede's Rangeland Derby starting Friday, July 7.

High River's Jordie Fike says the one saving grace this year is there's no significant rain in the forecast, which he says will be a nice change of pace after last year's "mud bowl."

"Yeah, that'll be a nice change from last year. I mean there's only one guy that left Calgary happy, and that was Kirk Sutherland, because he won it! But, that was the most gruelling 10 days I've ever been through in that weather."

Fike says he knows he doesn't have the best line-up of horses on the tour, but he's also confident he can still, at the very least, get into that top eight for "Semi-Final Saturday."

After that he says he'll take what he can get.

But he was quick to add he'll need to be very consistent over the week, and stay out of penalty trouble, which he says can be the great equalizer when it comes to an "endurance" race like the Stampede where penalties can have you drop from the penthouse to the outhouse in just one turn of the barrels.

Fike sit's 27th in the World Standings heading into the 10 days of racing.