Lachlan Morton is not any stranger to pushing boundaries, however his newest problem took ultra-endurance biking to a complete new stage. In September 2024, the EF Schooling-EasyPost rider got down to break the Round-Australia biking report, masking over 14,200 km in lower than 40 days. Battling excessive warmth, exhaustion, and the relentless Australian outback, Morton’s journey—captured within the feature-length movie “The Nice Southern Nation”—showcases his endurance, dedication, and distinctive method to long-distance using. Right here’s a have a look at how he took on one of many hardest endurance challenges ever tried.
Australia’s Lachlan Morton rides for the UCI World Tour group EF Schooling First-Straightforward Publish however his profession as a bicycle owner has taken a really completely different path from what he might need envisaged when turning skilled in 2013. Whereas he has in that point ridden most of the famous races in Europe (the Giro, the Vuelta, Il Lombardia) his wins on the highway have been within the Tour of Utah and the Tour of the Gila. Reasonably, he has turn out to be famous for his ultra-endurance rides, successful GBDuro, Badlands and Unbound Gravel 200. Since 2023 his racing has been virtually solely in mountain biking and gravel occasions. In addition to setting information on the Kokopelli’s Path and the Tour Divide Path, he acquired a level of fame together with his Alt Tour in 2021, using the route of the Tour de France route that yr, together with transfers, unsupported and arriving in Paris 5 days forward of the peloton. In September 2024 he got down to break the report for using round Australia and that is the topic of a latest video posted by EF Professional Biking and introduced by Cannondale and POC. The principal filming was by Angus Morton, an completed videographer and Lachlan’s brother.
The report that Morton aimed to beat was set 13 years earlier by David Alley, who took almost 40 days to trip the 15,152 kms of his journey. With a view to obtain the brand new report, it was essential to trip at the least 14,200 kms, passing plenty of specified cities on route. Throughout his trip, Morton was not solely accompanied by his help crew—mechanic, coach, therapeutic massage therapist, spouse Rachel and movie crew—but additionally by a consultant of the Street Report Affiliation of Australia, who factors out initially of the video that Lachlan Morton rode the equal of 4 Excursions de France in a month.
In his earlier Alt Tour Morton raised cash for charity (World Bicycle Reduction in that occasion) and for lap of Australia he once more raised funds, this time for a charity near house: the Indigenous Literacy Basis. There are quite a few references within the video to the Aborginal and Torres Strait Islanders and one has to admire their capability to outlive in a area like this for some 65,000 years. As a result of Australia, which calls itself “the Fortunate Nation,” can be a continent of harsh environmental circumstances along with being famous for its stunning coastlines.
The video opens with Morton and his spouse Rachel speaking concerning the problem. He tells her that to beat the report one must trip one thing like 200 to 400 kms every day, which might be the longest he would have performed to that time, noting that his longest race is “solely” 200 miles, or 320 kms. (in all probability a referent to the Unbound Gravel 200). Departing from his house in Port Macquarie, NSW, together with his help crew attentive of their RV, it’s fairly clear from the beginning that he gained’t be doing any 200 km days on this journey as on his first day he finishes with over 400 performed and for the rest of the video we by no means see rides of lower than that and a quantity which might be nicely over 500 kms. No relaxation days are taken by Lachy and even when dehydrated and vomiting from meals poisoning he simply retains on occurring. The one day when he seems to overlook his goal is when, to keep away from a freeway, the little firm finally ends up on a dust highway solely appropriate for 4x4s and he has to push his manner via the sand for 10 kms. To the typical rider his speeds appear incomprehensible: on the primary day he accomplished over 400 kms with a median pace of 36 km/h.
To aim a trip like this one you must have a really specific mindset. Morton speaks of going past what is predicted, to push boundaries, as a result of, in his view, to remain inside limits and do solely what you assume you possibly can, is like by some means dishonest folks. To trip for as much as 20 hours a day, typically in intense warmth and on what seem like endlessly useless straight roads, should name upon a formidable potential to focus. Morton rides whereas listening to podcasts however even that grows stale after some time.
In comparison with different ultra-endurance riders, Morton’s method appears to be considerably informal as he varies distances relying on how the temper strikes him, in a single occasion simply using with out stopping to eat however taking up meals from the RV because it drives alongside him. His capability for quick using is superb as the one accidents or stress he appears to endure is from an Achilles tendon that’s bothering him. The crew has introduced alongside a baby’s wading pool that they put ice into and he sits in on the finish of the day. A lot of stops are clearly in motels and he and his coach even take pleasure in a beer collectively one night.
The video is a full size function at 1 hour 47 minutes and there are moments when the viewer feels the relentlessness of the report try, with mile after mile of empty landscapes, punctuated by temporary stops. At one level Morton remarks that he doesn’t know what day it’s, or how lengthy he has nonetheless to trip. Along with what should be world-class boredom on a few of these stretches, there may be additionally the omnipresent hazard of the well-known/infamous “highway trains” of Australia. These are large vehicles with a number of trailers, barrelling down the roads at excessive speeds, and appear in every single place within the video. At one level Morton has to drag off onto the non-shoulder as one in every of them makes no transfer to go round him however retains on coming.
Making an look are plenty of folks proven within the credit as “characters,” and that they’re. A younger Australian with a pushcart strolling throughout Australia; an aged couple from the Sunshine Coast; an Aboriginal artist; a Frenchman using a battered Royal Enfield bike across the nation; a pair of truckers who should be subtitled as they sound straight out of “Crocodile Dundee,” offering useful recommendation comparable to not driving at evening however given the temperatures (40ºC within the Northern Territory) means some departures are at 11 pm.
All through the video we’re given a sign of what number of days have handed, the day by day mileage and what stays. From early on it’s clear that Morton is using far forward of the previous report tempo. As he approaches the ultimate stretch he mulls concepts like what it might be like to only maintain going for, say, 1200 kms in a single burst. He is aware of what he intends to do and for the group it requires some cautious administration to maintain him in bounds sufficient to complete the trip. As he passes Sydney and approaches his hometown others come out to fulfill him, a few of them using alongside, and lots of are current for the triumphant conclusion.
“The Nice Southern Nation” is an epic video about an epic nation and one can solely think about what Lachlan Morton may do to prime this trip subsequent.
“The Nice Southern Nation—Lachlan Morton’s Round Australia Report”
Launched February 2025, 1 hour 47 minutes run time
An EF Professional Biking and Thereabouts Manufacturing
Written & Directed by: Scott Donald Mitchell and Angus Morton
Starring: Lachlan Morton, Rachel Peck, Thomas Hopper, Graham Seers, and Athalee Browne
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