The challenge of completing the Tour de France was set by the youtuber when she went through a nervous breakdown in her life. The Brit had to rethink many things, and even went so far as to quit her job: “I was at a point where I wasn’t really feeling well, and the truth is that it wasn’t good. I didn’t want to be there.”
But the Tour de France was far from just overcoming mountains, and the heat was one of his biggest challenges: “It was so hot. I felt like I was melting. Then, on one of the bends, there was a couple with a little sign that said: ‘Come on Amy’. And it made a big difference. It was just great.
The hardest moments
The hardest stages were not always the mountain stages, but Hudson acknowledges that there were some demanding moments:
“It was tough. I found it a bit hard to keep myself entertained on the bike. When you pedal for 12 hours and you only see the same sights, it can get a little… not boring, but it was hard to keep a positive attitude. I’m pretty insecure. There’s always a big part of me that thinks, ‘I don’t know if I can do this.’ But when I got halfway through, I thought, ‘Actually, I think I could do it.'”
Nutrition was also key to staying on his feet stage after stage. All of which goes to show that professional cyclists venture into a real challenge every time they get on their bikes:
“I had to eat about 7,000 calories a day. I’m a little weird because I don’t like coffee and I don’t use gels or anything. So I fed myself with real food. Everyone is different, but it works for me, and that’s what I prefer. I ate a ton; I actually have a list of everything I ate, but I didn’t eat as many croissants as I expected, because we actually only ate 14.”
And at the end of each day, a recovery ritual that, according to her, made the difference: “I finished the route and immediately drank cherry juice, which was a little tip that the professionals gave us: it helps recovery,” she said.