I hope it's not too late but...
G'day T,
Knees failed me in a way that made last years knee issues look positively easy. 5 days off the bike and I'm still not able to walk properly. I couldn't race to my fullest extent; taking time off every day or so to rest up wasn't an option...I would've been relegated to touring. Best course was to leave the route before I did some permanent damage.
Greetz
S.