Morongo Valley’s own Aaron Gwin is one of the most decorated downhill mountain bikers in the world — a five-time UCI World Cup overall champion. But perhaps his most jaw-dropping moment came at the 2015 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Leogang, Austria, when his chain snapped on the very first pedal stroke out of the starting gate. Rather than pull out, Gwin put his head down and charged the entire course without being able to pedal a single stroke — and won the race anyway. “First pedal out of the gate, the chain snapped,” Gwin said afterward. “What can you do? I just tried to put my head down and charge as hard as I could.” One of the most legendary runs in downhill history, from a kid who grew up right here in the high desert.
