[legion]

I can think of several dozen instances. I'll start out with one for the more tame ones.

I was doing an "off-road" triathlon several years ago. Swim in a lake, mountain biking, then running. I wasn't serious about it. So I formed a team with two of my neighbors. One swam, I biked, another ran. I was doing okay for the biking part. It was two miles of highly technical stuff (logs over the trail, etc) and one mile of flat, open path to be repeated for three laps. On the tail end of my first lap, I hit the flat mile and was pedaling for my life. I'd like to think I was doing 25-30 mph coming into the staging area, where the whole crowd was waiting. At full speed, I lean into the horseshoe turn around the staging area. Next thing I know, the bike is on its side and I'm sliding across the dewy grass. I swear I slid for a good 100 feet. As I was sliding, I got to see a good 20 people pass me. I get back up on my bike, step on a pedal, and discover that my chain has fallen off and it is now choked with dirt and grass. So I got to extend my humiliation as I tried, repeatedly, in vain to get the chain back on.

This same chain would later break during the race right as I cruised into the staging area at the end of my third lap.