My doctor diagnosed it a age-related lower back pain and suggested that I live with the pain and accept that my back is aging and I need to take it easy. Yeah, that not gonna work for me. While looking for a new doctor, I researched some of the causes and treatments for chronic lower back pain. A number of papers sugest that people who sit for long periods or ride bicycles extensively can develop a chronic condition that maintains the spine in flexion. This is caused as the quadriceps shorten from prolonged sitting. The shortened quads (and other associated muscles) prevent the pelvis from tilting naturally and causes the lower back muscles to bear the weight of the upper body instead of the lower spine.
The treatment is pretty straightforward and involves stretching the lower back and hip flexors so they will allow the pelvis to tilt naturally. I've been stretching 3 times a day for 4 weeks and I'm seeing real relief now. I do 4 different stretches for the back and 3 more for hip flexors and they leaves me really sore after a session but the results are worth it. I've probably doubled the flexibility of my lower back by 50% or more and about a weeks ago crossed some threshold so I can now stand normally and tilt my pelvis enough to transfer the strain from muscle to spine.
More than anything the whole experience reminds me how important it is to stay physically fit as we age. For me physically fit means more than being able to ride a 20+ mph century or complete a 200k brevet. It means also maintaining the flexibility and core strength needed for off-bike activities. I'm renewing my commitment to stretch every day and adding a couple of new stretches just for this.
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