Death Ride Countdown

It's morning of the 4th of July, Independence Day for the U.S. For me, I'm not free of pain this morning; am I a slave to pain, though?

I'm stiff with pain. And somewhere deep inside me in an-defined nexus of more pain, a point of pain radiating out from my lower back, moving with impunity up and down my back and right leg. Stretching hurts. Not moving hurts. Relaxing my body hurts. Turning my head hurts.

My desire to climb back on my bike is not strong this morning; thinking about trying another 30 miles today makes me sick to my stomach; so does the thought of not riding today.