Taranaki Cycle Challenge

It was a coolish cloudy start to the Round Taranaki Cycle Challenge . I wasn't feeling the best having eaten a dodgey piece of quiche in a cafe in Waverly on the way up. I couldn't eat any dinner and only  a piece of toast for breakfast. I had managed to keep fluids down however .
I decided to ride within myself and not push anything. Completing the 150k was my goal.
It is a lovely ride from the start in NewPlymouth and heading out along the coast to Okato. You have the view of the sea  on your right, the mountain on your left, and rolling hills to keep you amused.
I am not keen on bunch riding so make it hard for myself riding alone . After a while I  began to feel better and did latch on to a bunch and let them pull me along for a while till I got spat out on a hill . After that it was pretty much me trundling along alone .
It was a hard grind from Opunake through to Midhurst - a  long straight uphill grind.
Suddenly I heard a large bang . The guy in front of me's tyre blew up. He then blew up with a lot of expletives!
Things sped up once on the main road and I could skim along at 30k or more.
The last hill came in sight and I relaxed, changed gear ... and the chain came off . No matter. I replaced it and cruised in to finish  3d in my age group in 6 hours 2 minutes and 37 seconds.