It's New Years. The weather has cleared up. it's partly cloudy, in the 50's. Great time to get out for a ride. I was up late last night with the family, so I got up later than normal. I had breakfast and got suited up for the ride, without taking a nap. I wore arms, knees, cap, and long sleeve jersey. I put some newspaper in the jersey. It definitely helped. I tried the new cycling shorts (Pearl Isumi Pro Bibs). I have mixed feelings about them. The first thing I noticed was that I had to lower the saddle height. There's more padding on these shorts than my others. So, about half an inch difference in the saddle height. Before adjusting the saddle height, I noticed pain in the groin. I guess it was too much compression. Lowering the saddle solved that problem. The shorts absorb the bumps in the road and offer a bit of wiggling room. Although it is less firm on the saddle. So, I was moving a bit more in the saddle. Will have to try them out over the next few weeks and see how they do. I made it to the end of OTR in good average time. The Banducci Wall had some traffic mitigation. The Arosa climb went fast. After adjusting the saddle height to accommodate the new bib shorts, I had less pain and was able to put more power into the pedals. The other thing I did was change the position of the cleats so that my foot is a bit forward. My right knee didn't complain today, but my left outer knee was sore for a few moments. It never escalated and I think it diminished as the ride progressed. I had some matches left when I reached the summit of Arosa. I zipped through the backside of the Alpine Forest. Doing over 43 MPH on the first dip. I headed to the summit of Banducci and pulled over to take a few moments rest. When I was at the summit of OTR, I removed the newspaper stashed in my chest. I ended up putting it back for the return trip. It was getting a bit colder, so I needed more protection. There was some traffic mitigation on the way down, so I was having to let traffic by. Descending off the Banducci Wall was mostly safe after I let cars pass. The return on OTR was mostly fun and games. I pushed over Mariposa and shut it down when I reached the top of Weston. Concentration was good. I was eager to try the new shorts, so I was constantly evaluating the comfort as the ride progressed. Balance and form was good. Nutrition was good. No hunger signs. I went through most of my sport drink. Ailments were minimal. The right inner glute was cooperating. I had some slight left outer knee pain that got better after adjusting the saddle. My right lower back muscle was a bit sore in the last 15 minutes of the ride. Gear worked flawless. Other notes, I saw one cyclist and a casual cyclist. Perhaps a two runners as well.