In the space of just four years, Amy Hudson has gone from getting her first bike, to planning to ride the entire Tour de France route.
The 28-year-old, known under her Instagram moniker ‘Amy Cycling Adventures’, is plotting her biggest adventure yet, and will ride 6,300km in 30 days ahead of the men’s race this July.
She will take just two rest days during the trip, meaning she’s set to average 225km a day as she crosses multiple mountain ranges.
“I’ve never done something as big as this, but you only live once,” Hudson told Cycling Weekly. “I had the idea last year and I thought, ‘Let’s just do it.’ I’ve got nothing to lose.”
The Brit will begin her ride in Lille on 27 June – around a week before the men’s Tour begins – and will trace the route for every stage, including the transfers between them. She plans to reach Paris on 26 July, a day before the pros.
Her original inspiration came from seeing Australian pro Lachlan Morton take on the same challenge with his ‘Alt-Tour’ in 2021. This year, however, the total distance of the transfers between the stages is longer, including one that stretches over 500km.
“I’m doing 1,000km more than [Morton], basically,” Hudson said. “Obviously he’s an ex pro, which I’m not. I’m not going to compare myself to him. He’s just epic.
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“I met him at Rouleur Live last year and I told him I was doing it. He asked to look at the route on my phone, and he said, ‘This bit here, you’re going to have a lot of issues with headwinds if you get the same as what I had.’ I was like, ‘Oh great!’” And he said, ‘It’ll be a challenge, but it’s good.’”
(Image credit: Amy Hudson)
A keen endurance cyclist, Hudson is no stranger to tough challenges, and previously completed a 24-hour time trial, managing 648km. Her longest trip to date came last September, when she rode 2,000km from Italy to her home in Derby across eight days.
She will be accompanied in France by her husband, Kyle, who will travel in a van on “snack patrol” and meet her each day.
“My coach messaged me last night with a big, long thing about nutrition, and he said I’m going to be burning like 9,000 to 12,000 calories a day for 30 days, so I’ve got to get a lot of food in,” Hudson said.
“I’ve never used carb drinks, I’ve never used gels, and I don’t drink caffeine, because I don’t like coffee. I’m getting my gut used to eating enough on the bike as well. I don’t want an upset stomach.”
Still, she continued, the thing she is most concerned about is the heat, which is likely to top 40°C. “I know the pros put ice in tights, so I’ve already told Kyle to put some ice in tights,” she laughed.
“He’s going to bring his bike because it’s his 30th birthday while we’re out there, so he’s going to ride Mont Ventoux with me on his 30th. Right now it seems like a good idea, but I don’t know if he’ll regret that. We’ll see.”
Hudson’s passion for cycling began after she experienced a “breakdown” in 2021. At the time, she was working as a mental health nurse within the NHS, supporting people with eating disorders.
“In lockdown, I found it really hard,” she explained. “I’ve always struggled myself with anxiety. I actually had an eating disorder as well at university, so it was quite close to home and I just completely had a breakdown. I couldn’t cope.
“I had to leave my job because it was at the point where I just really wasn’t well, and it really wasn’t good. I didn’t want to be here.”
In a bid to help her feel better, her husband decided to gift her a Carrera bike from Halfords. “I don’t know why, because I’d never asked for a bike,” she laughed. “When I was younger, I used to ride with my dad, but I used to hate it.
“So I got the bike, and I went out on my first ride. My dad took me out, and we did 45 miles. I hadn’t cycled in 10 years, and it was really hilly in the Peak District, but I loved it. All I could focus on was my breathing, pushing up the hills, and nature. It was just so peaceful.”
Today, Hudson documents her cycling through her social media channels. She has almost 90,000 followers on Instagram, and over 30,000 subscribers on YouTube, running the accounts alongside a part-time finance role within the NHS. To complete her Tour de France trip this summer, she has been granted a month’s unpaid leave.
“I’m excited for the challenge, but it’s not going to be easy,” she said. “I know it’s not going to be easy. I wanted to pick something that would be hard, because one of the reasons for doing it is to show that, no matter how hard life gets, don’t give up.
“I’m hoping that I can keep going through any pain or anything that goes wrong. I’m a very determined person, so I think, unless I break my leg and actually physically can’t cycle, I will finish it.”
Hudson is raising money for Shout, a 24/7 mental health helpline. Donations can be made to the charity through its website.
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