Chris Cariaso was 17 years old and one of the best BMX racers of his age in the country.
He was at the end of another grueling four-week national tour, and it was his last day in Daytona Beach, Fla. The heat started as all the others with the riders on top of a dirt hill ready to head down and begin the 90-second or so race with a series of jumps.
However, his chain broke, Cariaso flipped over his handlebars and broke bones, and lost his sponsors. But a new career – one that eventually led him to Sunday’s WEC 49 event – was on the horizon.