Firecracker 50 and a Visit From Grandma Vicki and Papa Sherwood

Over the 4th of July, Jesse's parents and his brother and fiance visited us. It's been over a year since his parents saw Maximus, so it was enjoyable to catch up and have fun for six days. On July 4th, Jesse had his biggest race yet- The Firecracker 50 in Breckenridge, CO. 50 miles in the mountains with over 9,000 of climbing. The route was changed because there was still 4 feet of snow in some spots of the race, so it ended up being 54 miles total. It's funny, because we never thought we'd be endurance athletes. Notice how clean and pretty his bike is in the picture above.

Jesse before taking off for the start line. He was so nervous!

Look how cool our team kits (kits are cycling uniforms) from the shop are. "Powered by Beefies" is from Maximus. He calls his legs his "beefies" and that's what powers the team. Makes me smile as his mom.

Maximus and I were going to hang out for the 6 hours it would take him to race. Jesse's parents met up with us later that morning.

How they have the race set up, is the racers lead the 4th of July parade down Main Street. The racers don't start off sprinting, they are lead by someone keeping them slow, so everyone could wave and cheer. After Main Street, they killed it and started racing.

The parade itself was so fun! It was very traditional, with horses and fire trucks and all that. Maximus had lots of fun standing at the line watching.

Here's Maximus and Papa Sherwood walking around in Breckenridge. Isn't it sickeningly beautiful?! Seriously, all the views we have here are epic!

Here's a shot of the finish line. It was a huge race. The announcer was really good too. The crowd was amazing. Man, Jesse's mom can whistle. And I thought I was a good cheer leader! His parents had never been to a race, so seeing their son cross the finish line was emotional. It's a huge accomplishment!

I like this picture because it shows how casual all these races are. It's all about families, little and dogs kids running around, people just chilling out and having a good time.

...and after 6 hours, we saw Jesse come down the mountain switchbacks. He crossed the finish line and when he races, I give him time before approaching him. He's so exhausted and need a few minutes to well, not die. After a bit, he came over and sat. Look at my love. He's covered in dirt from his head to his toes and utterly beat. He didn't say too much.

Here's what a really expensive bike looks like after you take it to hell and back. We later learned that his legs cramped at mile 25, leaving him to do the rest in pain. My legs cramp on my long runs, but they cramp at the last mile. I will never complain about the pain after knowing what Jesse went through. What a machine.

Group shot after he could smile.

Jesse's dad loves to fish. He took Maximus to the pond and fished a bit. Hey, I even caught a fishing pole! And it's nice! Thanks to Maximus, we ate fish last night!