This has been a weekend of record breaking…

This morning, I joined cousin Joey, his wife Lori and my father Jack on a 15 mile ride on the popular San Antonio Missions Bike trail. We started the ride just after 0730 hours and enjoyed some rather cool temps for most of the ride.

Detailed ride data courtesy Motionbased.com (via Garmin Edge 305HR)

Lori and Jack had previous mileage records of somewhere between 5-9 miles so the distance they traveled today was 2-3 times longer than they’ve ever experienced! Outstanding! They did a wonderful job!

Cousin Joey aced the course with ease which was no surprise. Joey’s been riding weekly and recently topped 23 miles a few days ago – pretty impressive for a man who has survived two heart attacks. Joey’s dedication to cycling and to better health continues to be an inspiration.

As usual, the ride was full of sights and sounds. We saw Black-Bellied Whistling Ducks, Great Blue Herons and several turtles enjoying the cool waters of the San Antonio River which meanders next to the bike trail for most of its route. We also stopped and checked out Mission Espada where we snapped a few photos. The bike trail provides easy access to several historic Spanish missions that are part of the San Antonio Missions National Park.

Dad cruised with ease on his Elecktra Townie and it was great to have him as a riding buddy again and to see him out of his usual riding playground in Hollywood Park. I took note of the fact that leading up to his ride, he had made it a priority to do some solo bike rides as preparation. That effort certainly proved effective based on his performance today!

Lori really persevered. Early in the ride when she began to struggle she made a public declaration during one of our rest stops, “I am going to do this! I’m going to finish this entire ride.” Her mental fortitude paid off and finish the ride she did with flying colors!

So…to all my riding companions…pat yourselves on the back for a great ride, excellent fellowship and almost two hours of exercise to improve your health. Bravo!