How's your cycling? Today was a really good day for me.

[TexasProgresive]

I have been doing longer rides. Mostly I have been riding the same route, u turning and doing it up to 3 times staying on local county roads. After my warm up I took a road less traveled, by me anyway. This was a ride that I use to do regularly back in the day, 32 miles. I don't remember how my earlier times but 1 hr 45 minutes sounds right. Did it in 1 hr 55 minutes. Not bad for an old duffer. I recently added the app Mapmyride on my phone and it showed 636 feet of climbing. I know that I had some fun descends into creek bottoms with a good workout climbing out.

Last Friday I rode 25 miles with a group of guys around my age. It was a lot of fun getting to ride with others. Our ride leader is very attentive to the others and all of them were taking care of me. They probably wouldn't tell me but that's what I think. Anyway I am looking forward to riding with them come this Friday.

[hermetic]

1. I hate to tell ya...

You remember I got that bike and all I went through to get the tires aired up? Well, last November I put it out in my shed with a theft-proof chain and a key lock on it. This spring I went out to unlock it and the lock is jammed. Over the past several months I have sprayed it with compressed air and Fluid Film. I have beat on it with a hammer. I have good wire cutters and tried to cut through it with those but apparently it is airplane wire that just cannot be cut without a specific tool. Finally I ordered some bolt cutters that are supposed to work on that lock but the suckers weigh 9 lbs and I just don't have the arm strength to do it. So I've been trying to find some guy with strong arms who wouldn't mind just coming over for a few minutes and doing that for me. No luck, yet.

[TexasProgresive]

2. That's too bad.

One thing you might try is powdered graphite. It comes in a small tube. You can puff some into the key hole and the lock shafts. Puff some on the key as well and slid it in and out several times before trying to unlock. If you can turn the lock where the key hole is on top you can also tap the lock LIGHTLY a few times to get the graphite to move into the tumblers. It's worth a try as the graphite is pretty cheep.

[jberryhill]

3. My ride today was a little weird

I took my bike on vacation with me, and thought I'd find a nice country hill ride.

There was a group that overtook me with, like, 190 guys on bikes, a shitload of cars, a bunch of motorcycles and several helicopters circling overhead.

Some cop kept yelling at me and pointing at a road sign.

One of these days, I'm gonna have to learn me some French....