Amy Hudson conquered mental illness through cycling. Now she’s inspiring others, as Sarah Millington finds out…
Amy Hudson’s visit to Cumbria could not be timelier.
The endurance cyclist who is famed for completing the men’s Tour de France last year is coming to Rheged for a talk on February 28.
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It comes hot on the heels of the announcement that the county is to host two stages of next year’s Tour. She is very excited. “We will definitely be going to watch,” she says, including her husband, Kyle. “We’ll probably ride from home, knowing us. It’s amazing that we’re getting to host it.
“I’m hoping that it will help bring people together and they’ll get behind cycling a little bit more. You go abroad and cycle in other countries and there’s so much more love for cycling.”
Now 29, the amateur’s rise has been as speedy as it has been stratospheric. She only started cycling four years ago following a period of mental ill health. “So, I was working as a mental health nurse when Kyle randomly bought me a bike,” she explains. “I hadn’t been on a bike since I was 14. Even though I was a mental health nurse I didn’t really want to accept that I wasn’t well. I ended up really poorly.
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“It was a cheap bike – I had no clue he was going to buy me one. I’ve always loved being outside. My dad cycles and I just thought, ‘I can go out on a weekend.’”
Her first big challenge was cycling 160 miles to her caravan in North Wales. “I’d only been cycling three months,” she laughs. “It was the first time in ages I thought, ‘I’ve really achieved something.’ I really felt good. Then I think from there I thought, ‘Right, what’s the next thing I could do?’ and it grew from there.”
Not naturally drawn to the limelight, Amy, from Mickleover, Derby, soon found her exploits attracting attention on social media and now has tens of thousands of followers across Instagram and YouTube.
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“When I first started cycling I didn’t really want anyone knowing I existed and then I thought, ‘If I can help people, that’s what I want to do,’” she says. “I never thought my social media would grow but I wanted it to, in a way, because I wanted to help people.”
TOUR DE FRANCE 2027
She started setting herself an annual challenge to raise money for charity and last year’s was what must be the holy grail of cycling. “One of the first things (since gaining a profile) was being invited to go to the Tour de France,” says Amy. “I thought it was amazing. Then a kind of idea formed in my head. I thought, ‘I’d like to ride every stage one day.’ Then I thought, ‘I want to ride the transfers as well, because that’s never been done by a woman.’ It was 4,060 miles in 28 days, so it was all the stages plus the bits in between. I rode the whole thing. I think I rode nearly 3,000km more than the pros did. We raised £93,000 for charity. I did not expect that.”
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Her talk at Rheged is titled Amy Hudson: I Can and I Will and includes short films documenting her Tour adventure. She hopes it will inspire not just cyclists, but anyone in need of encouragement.
“It doesn’t even have to be cycling – it’s just finding the thing that makes you happy and makes you feel you’ve got purpose,” she says. “Something that keeps you going and keeps you motivated and helps you to live life beyond the realms of work. I think there’s so much pressure on everyone now and it’s good that people can talk about it more.”
The Tour de France (Image: Bruce Rollinson/SWpix.com)
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As part of her mission, Amy has written a book, ‘Finding Happiness Pedal by Pedal’ complete with mental health tips. She also aims to continue leading by example and is already planning her next challenge – for her and Kyle to be the fastest couple to ride around the world.
“That starts on May 1,” she says. “To get some training in, we’re going to cycle to Penrith on our round-the-world bikes, then after I’ve done my talk, we’re going to cycle to North Wales.
“Hopefully I won’t be too tired at the talk! I think round-the-world is going to be a lot harder (than the Tour de France) but I won’t be riding on my own. I’m excited for it. It’s going to be a good challenge.”
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Amy Hudson: I Can and I Will: An Evening of Endurance Cycling is on at Rheged at 7.30pm on February 28. To book visit rheged.com