2 weeks in Japan

I was PC-less for the last 2 weeks. I had to go to Japan for work. The bad news is that my trip started 3 weeks before one of my target events, The Texas State TT Championships. The good news is that I at least took my road bike. Cycling around Tsukuba, Japan is always enjoyable to me. Once you get on the quieter roads you are met with some beautiful scenery and traditional Japanese architecture. Plus there's something Houston doesn't have - hills! Tsukuba-yama (mountain) is just 30 minutes from the hotel, and I often head up the 8-10% slopes. Did that again this year and cranked out some yearly best powers in the 6-30 minute range. I won't claim a couple of weeks of PCs before the trip was the reason. In my opinion, it was more due to slightly cooler temperatures in the mornings (typically on the road by 5 AM) than Houston for the equivalent humidity, REALLY fueling up (I put on a few lbs - love that Japanese food), and grinding it up the mountain (much easier to hold pace up the steep grade than gusty conditions typically found at home). I packed a 11-28 cassette to keep the cadence high and at least simulate my TT cadence.

I'm a week out from the TT event, so my use of PCs will be somewhat limited. I'll be on them several times this week, but the real exclusive use comes in one more week.