I find that my knees hurt after not riding for a few days. One doctor came up with a theory, and she admitted she was thinking as she was talking. She said perhaps the exercise helps move the lubricant in my knee but getting off the bike makes it dry up.

I say get back on the bike and keep pedaling gently. I've finally faced the fact that I've been mashing too much and am making an effort to spin faster. It's not easy with my track bike, since it has a 76-inch ratio, but at least it's light, so I'm not mashing all that hard. I do plan to gear it down this winter and then back up later in the spring.