It's a vicious cycle...no pun intended.
I have been riding as daily as possible and my knee pain is relentless...tolerable but relentless. I 'rig up' all day long until I get back on the bike. I seem to be able to ride through it and by the end of my ride I'm good and loose again...then I start to rig again...If there is any strengthening or improvement it has been slow. The knees do feel better after a couple of days off...so I plan to work through it.