What I get for listening to Unchained by Van Halen all week

Just got in from an early morning ride with Joe Reagan. We got about 16+ miles out and my chain exploded. I chopped out a bunch of links and rode 34×12 the rest of the way back. It was sort of hard, but really not that bad, and I’ve ridden harder gearing on my singlespeed so I didn’t think a whole lot of it. I was just checking with Sheldon’s calculator and as it turns out, 34×12 is the equivalent of 42x14ish. I turn 42×16 as my really hard gear during the year, and I can’t believe this gear didn’t feel that hard. The chain break turned into an early barometer of where we’re at, and it sure looks like we’re in a really good place.