If you see a doctor they'll probably diagnose it as tendinitis and prescribe ibuprofen and stretching.
I've got a couple of sports medical books and that's all they say about it, so fair enough.

It would seem to me that walking up hills, and cycling with a longer leg extension would be comparable, or superior, to stretching.
I raised my saddle a few years ago and the pain went away. So you may be right.