Afton Suck Fest

Let's just say that things didn't go as planned at Afton. After going out fast on the first lap, I was struggling to find sections to recover in. I didn't find any. On the second lap, I dialed back the pace on the front section to recover a bit. Took a gel in preparation for the next series of climbs, and brought my heartrate down. The gel and recovery started to kick in on the first climb. I climbed at a good pace and started to pass a few people. On the long double track climb, I passed two guys in my age group that passed me on the first lap. They were walking, and I was riding. I made the first crest and headed into the twisting singletrack. I was bouncing around on a rocky section of downhill singletrack when, clink...clink...clink...(quiet)... My chain had exploded into 2 sections. My race was over. At first I thought I would hike a bike to the finish line, but after considering the 3-4 mile jaunt, I quickly changed my mind. I went straight down the hill and walked the road back to the finish. DNF. Makes me mad. What else can I say. I was reeling people back in, and was hoping for a strong finish. Next week...