"I had to eat about 7,000 calories a day" - YouTuber completed the 2025 Tour de France course
Cycling
The Tour de France 2025 has gone down in history as the one in which Tadej Pogacar once again defeated Jonas Vingegaard to win his fourth career Grande Boucle title. There is no test like this, neither in cycling nor in other sports. What the Tour generates, nothing else does. It is the only competition in which a youtuber would dare to complete the 21-stage course.
This is the story of Amy Hudson, who ventured out on her bike to ride the entire monstrous Tour de France course. Speaking to Cycling Weekly, Hudson reveals just how tough the challenge is:
In the midst of climbing the Col du Tourmalet, Amy Hudson recalled the mentality that stayed with her throughout the challenge: "I always told myself that whatever pain I feel, I have chosen it. I put myself in this situation and it's a privilege to be in this situation, so I just have to enjoy it."
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.
Read also
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 2visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment