Woman who cycled the men’s Tour de France for charity is up for JustGiving Award 2025
A woman from Derby has been selected as a finalist in the Mind over Miles category at this year’s JustGiving Awards after cycling over 4,000 miles for charity earlier this summer.
Amy Hudson, 29, cycled the entire men’s Tour de France route - including transfers - with only her husband, Kyle, 30, on hand to offer support. The impressive feat took 29 days to complete, with Amy raising an incredible £75,000 for mental health charity, Shout and The Mix.
After struggling with her own mental health problems, Amy found comfort in cycling for leisure, which quickly turned into a love of the endurance sport. Four years later, the former mental health nurse has taken part in three challenges, including her most recent fundraiser in France.
Amy said: “When I was at my lowest, my husband Kyle bought me a bike, thinking it would help me get out – and he was right. For a while, going out on the bike was the only time I felt happy, and I started going out further and further - 100 miles or more.”
“After six months, I was back at the NHS, although in admin, I decided MH nursing wasn’t right for me. Before I knew it, I was hooked on cycling and I started doing 24-hour timed trials, cycling 2,000 km from Italy to Derby for charity.”
Amy is one of 20 people to be named as a JustGiving Awards finalist this year, after over 18,000 nominations were made by the general public. To be nominated, entrants had to have used JustGiving to raise money for a charity or personal cause over the last 12 months.
The finalists were shortlisted by an internal judging panel from JustGiving, with four finalists for each of the five new categories chosen. Alongside the Endurance: Mind over Miles category, the other categories are Kids: Rising Star, Influencer: Social for Good, Team: Stronger Together and Community: Outstanding Commitment.
Pascale Harvie, President and General Manager of JustGiving, said: “In 25 years, over £7 billion has been raised for good causes by millions of incredible fundraisers on JustGiving. The Awards is our way of shining a light on those extraordinary individuals whose courage, compassion and commitment inspire us all.
"With thousands of remarkable nominees this year, narrowing them down to just 20 finalists was no easy task. Among them, Amy’s story truly moved us. Motivated by her own personal experience, she’s shown unwavering determination to raise awareness and vital funds for mental health. Her passion, resilience and drive are nothing short of inspirational.”
This year the awards coincide with JustGiving’s 25th anniversary. Instead of being recognised with a traditional award ceremony, JustGiving is now offering winners an immersive experience that they’ll remember forever.
To vote for the winners of this year’s JustGiving Awards visit: https://page.justgiving.com/justgiving-awards-vote
To find out more about Amy's fundraising journey or to support her fundraising efforts, visit: https://www.justgiving.com/page/a-c-a