Last Updated on 21 August 2026:
Cycling with gout can be incredibly frustrating. During a flare-up, even walking can be painful, so the idea of training or riding a bike may feel completely unrealistic.
I know this from personal experience. Gout can cause sudden, severe joint pain, swelling and tenderness, and it can leave you wondering whether exercising will help, make things worse, or simply be impossible.
In this guide, I’ll share what I learned about cycling and exercising with gout, how I approached training around flare-ups, and some practical considerations that may help you manage your cycling while dealing with the condition. Because gout is a medical condition, any decisions about treatment, medication or exercising during an acute flare should also be discussed with an appropriate healthcare professional.
Covered in this blog:
- What is gout?
- My personal experience with gout
- Gout and exercise
- Top tips
- Summary
What is gout?
The Arthritis Foundation define gout as:
“Gout is a form of inflammatory arthritis that develops in some people who have high levels of uric acid in the blood. The acid can form needle-like crystals in a joint and cause sudden, severe episodes of pain, tenderness, redness, warmth and swelling”
That is certainly a more professional way of describing my experience of gout! If you’ve ever suffered with gout, or know someone who has, you’ll know that almost every word to describe gout is followed by swearing, cursing, and cussing. Gout is often compared to similar or worse pain as a broken leg or even childbirth by the sorry people who have experienced both.
There are certain foods that contain a high amount of purines. When you eat this food, your kidneys break these down into uric acid. When your kidneys can no longer flush this away, it sometimes gets stored in your joints. You will experience severe pain when enough uric acid is stored in your joints. The pain might last anywhere between a day or two to weeks or more. Most people either experience one attack in their lifetime or will suffer chronically with gout flare ups.
My personal experience with gout and cycling with gout
In my twenties
My first taste of “the disease of kings” was in my early-twenties, far younger than the usual age range of those suffering with gout (30-50 in men with women maybe only getting it post-menopause). At that time in my life, I had every reason to believe it was due to my poor diet. I wasn’t eating well, ingesting a lot of food and drink that are high in purines.
In my thirties
I was thankful to have spent around a decade without any further gout flare ups, until I awoke one night in agony. Given I ate completely differently, I was perplexed as to why I would be suffering once more. Typically, a diet high in game meat, organ meat, shellfish, beer and lots of sugar is to blame for gout attacks. Yet, my diet contained foods that were more likely to prevent gout – fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
After several days of sereing agony, plenty of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, and an annoying lack of sleep, I was starting to feel more back to normal. I was managing to train through the pain, albeit it took far too long, with far too many swears to get a shoe on.
Remarkably, I managed a century training ride and was confident about being on the mend. I was wrong and I awoke one night back in agony. I had somehow relapsed and was suffering another flare up. At this point, I was already at the maximum ten out of ten that most people report gout related pain. A trip to urgent care was necessary. The doctor prescribed a course of steroids and told me to rest – which I did.
The challenges of cycling with gout treatment
The steroids used for treating gout are a fairly dangerous, dependable, yet necessary drug to be prescribed. Many of the side-effects can be just as bad as the reason for taking them – almost!!
Five days of rest and I’m feeling much better. I started doing some light bike riding, and was just about finishing my course of steroids. A week or so goes by and the pain is more manageable. It’s not keeping me awake at night, however it’s still there. Sadly, another long ride and I awoke that night again, in total agony.
The final straw
I was given a high dose of steroids in urgent care the next morning. They had a longer taper, just about three weeks more of medication. The doctor advises that I can keep training, but to be very careful about it. I queried why this was happening with my doctor and she told me that they are seeing a higher number of athletes, particularly runners, who are now experiencing gout. She continues telling me that, while there’s no known cause, it’s certainly not diet related (in the cases of most athletes). She mentioned that it is possibly related to repetitive motion and dehydration, to which I can agree, particularly with the latter ringing a bell as I remember being quite dehydrated on both rides (I sweat a lot and live in sunny Southern California).
In my forties
I’ve been very lucky to not have too many flare ups since the attack in my thirties. A combination of being mindful of the warning signs in my joints, being very smart with my nutrition and hydration, and knowing exactly how to adapt my training when it starts to occur, has really helped.
That said I have had two times where the initial tingling feelings made the leap to full blown flare-up. A simple message to my doctor gets me the required medication and then adjusting my training to allow for an easy week (usually timing my adaptation week where I can) gets me back on track in a matter of days rather than weeks.
Cycling with Gout
A qualified physician should supervise you at all times while following this advice. However, I couldn’t find any worthwhile advice on cycling, exercising, or training while dealing with the blistering agony of gout. I know how much despair one can actually feel with this, so I thought I’d add my thoughts here. Here are my top tips for cycling or running with gout.
- See a doctor immediately and discuss any necessary medication – ensure you understand what the meds are, what they do and how to use it (especially if you get steroids)
- Ensure the food you eat and your lifestyle is cleaner than clean – research common food causes and ensure the blog you follow is up to date, here are common foods that might be making it worse (remember to check the accuracy of this and any other information as the advice we use often changes with time):
- Organ meat (liver, kidney, etc)
- Game meat (pheasant, veal, venison, etc)
- Fish (herring, trout, mackerel, etc)
- Other seafood (crab, shrimp, etc)
- Sugary beverages (fruit juices, sodas, etc)
- Added sugar (honey, agave, high fructose corn syrup, etc)
- Yeast (nutritional yeast, brewer’s yeast, marmite)
- If you choose to train, consult your doctor first and ensure you remain adequately hydrated. Reach out to a coach for help
- Rest might be best. Try a sport that doesn’t upset your gout or spend the time brushing up on your training or nutritional knowledge
Summary
Cycling with gout is possible for many people, but there is a big difference between training when symptoms are well controlled and trying to push through an acute, painful flare-up.
The most important thing is to manage the underlying condition properly and be willing to adjust your training when necessary. Missing or modifying a few sessions is far less important than creating a situation where pain or inflammation becomes harder to manage.
My own experience has shown me that gout does not necessarily have to mean giving up cycling or endurance training altogether.
If you are medically cleared to train and would like help adapting your cycling programme around periods of reduced training or other real-life limitations, book a free consultation.
