I can't ride without stretching. For years I thought my poor performance on the bike was due to fatigue and poor conditioning. I always had lower back pain starting at about mile 8 or so. About 2 months ago I saw a post here about the benefits of proper stretching. I was waiting for a friend to show up so I figured why not due some stretching. For the first time I had little or no pain and I was able to ride much harder. The pain was holding me back and I never fully realized it. Take care and best of luck.