Facing headwinds, battling hunger, and narrowly escaping a encounter with a kangaroo: Lachlan Morton discusses his groundbreaking journey cycling around Australia.
Actually, around a month has elapsed since Morton embarked on his journey from his hometown of Port Macquarie, aiming to circumnavigate his massive nation in record time. Approximately 8,800 miles or 14,200 kilometers later, you can understand why he might feel as if it's been longer.
As a seasoned cyclist, he's faced brutal headwinds, excessive temperatures, questionable traffic, and even had a close encounter with a kangaroo. All while cycling for up to 17 or 18 hours a day, taking breaks only to rest, eat, and reset his mind for the next challenge.
Morton elucidates to CNN Sport, "You finish a day, and you have an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, relief, and then you're asleep within 20 minutes. And then before you know it, you've woken up, and you're back to zero. It's tough."
By Saturday, the struggles will have been worth it. Morton anticipates breaking the record for the quickest lap of Australia, surpassing David Alley's time of 37 days, 20 hours, and 45 minutes set in 2011, upon his return to Port Macquarie, a 4-hour, 15-minute drive north of Sydney.
This monumental challenge will mark the conclusion of an incredible display of endurance and resilience, one entailing the mastery – or endurance – of Australia's merciless weather conditions.
"Rainy days, long headwind days – I think mentally they're probably the most demanding," observes Morton. "You're going to spend 17 or 18 hours pedaling in a single direction against the wind, which is quite maddening, to be honest. It's loud. You can easily convince yourself that it's someone working against you, like it's some sort of plot against you. Reminding yourself that you're merely on a bike ride becomes incredibly important."
This, however, is far from a typical bike ride. At times, Morton would commence his day on the bike at midnight after barely four hours of sleep. The early starts were essential to beat the intense heat in northern Australia while also avoiding the roaring commercial vehicles nearby. He discovered that his lights could cut through the night with more effectiveness.
"Trying to complete the route and not get run over, it's been quite the challenge, for sure," Morton admits with a hint of playfulness.
Sleep, at least six hours a night, has played a key part in this challenge, and his support team – comprising his childhood coach, a masseuse, a bike mechanic, and his wife Rachel – have been his rock throughout.
To fulfill the requirements set by the Road Record Association of Australia, a successful lap of the country must traverse 14,200 kilometers or more and pass through at least six of the following cities: Adelaide, Brisbane, Broome, Darwin, Esperance, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney.
Endurance and pain are inevitable in such a challenge. Morton acknowledges that walking is difficult first thing in the morning, as is mounting the bike later. However, once moving, he claims that his body has generally felt "pretty good"; it's her mental strength that has been put to the test more than anything.
"It can be incredibly monotonous," Morton sincerely shares with CNN. "The mental games and tricks you have to play with yourself become a lot more intense, and it's challenging in that you could be pedaling essentially straight in one direction for 16 hours, thinking of different ways to make it go by faster or to make it more enjoyable, which is tough."
Morton is a one-of-a-kind cyclist, having participated in some of the sport's most renowned road races, such as the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España, while also carving out a distinguished path in endurance cycling.
In 2021, he completed the Alt Tour by pedaling every stage of the Tour de France under his own power and reaching Paris five days before the main peloton.
A year later, he undertook a 42-hour, single push from Munich to the Polish-Ukrainian border to raise funds for Ukrainian refugees, amassing more than $250,000.
However, the expedition around Australia is a distinct challenge, primarily due to the country's vast size, much of it remote and uninhabited.
"Noticing how enormous it all is, it's quite startling," remarks Morton.
In addition to colliding with a kangaroo – "I almost went over the handlebars. It was a near miss" – Morton has encountered snakes on the Nullabor Plain and appreciated the beauty of birdsong at dawn and dusk – "probably the most enchanting time to be on the bike."
Despite the challenges, he has grappled with the same problems as any athlete facing an endurance test. When it comes to fueling, Morton asserts, "There's no formula or science behind my eating habits beyond what I crave at any given moment. It might be sandwiches, meat, eggs, rice, muffins, and cookies – essentially ordinary food – all accompanied by around six cups of coffee a day."
"Certain days, I might consume half as much food as other days, depending on how I'm feeling," he says. "When I'm hungry, I marvel at how much food I can consume."
During the competition, Morton has been assisted by his EF Education–EasyPost squad, who have been documenting his thrilling two-wheeled journey on various social platforms. He has managed to surpass his planned objective of gathering 100,000 Australian dollars (approximately $68,500) for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. This organization provides books and educational resources to Indigenous children residing in secluded Australian locales.
Covering hundreds of miles each day for a month is merely the latest escapade for a cyclist yearning to broaden the horizons of his discipline and discover new perspectives away from the densely packed peloton. For Morton, cycling is about adventure – a means to embark on solo expeditions and perceive the world from a unique vantage point.
"The diverse experiences one can encounter merely by utilizing bicycles are quite remarkable," he muses. "I hold no one experience more highly than the others. It's been all about the journey, you understand?"
Morton mentions that cycling for such long hours each day and dealing with various challenges, including harsh weather conditions, is mentally demanding and requires significant mental strength.
In an interview with CNN Sport, Morton expresses that his bike ride around Australia is not just a typical bike ride but a demanding test of endurance and resilience, involving mastering Australia's challenging weather conditions.
