The Unbound 200 may be done for the year, but its riders are still reeling from the tough conditions faced on Saturday’s race.

A combination of rain-exposed rock gardens, torrential pre-race downpours and mud-slick trails took victims throughout the weekend, including 2024’s Unbound 200 winner, Lachlan Morton. The EF Education-EasyPost rider took a hard slam just a quarter of the way into the race, falling heavily on his left hip. Though he managed to pedal to the first aid station, medics diagnosed him with concussion, and he exited the race.

"I had a big slam in one of the rocky sections," Morton said in a post on his team’s Instagram page. "It was of my own doing. Landed on my hip quite hard which is pretty sore right now. The organisers did a great job, they checked me out for concussion once I got back to the aid station. Otherwise, I'm ok, just a little disappointed. The race was going well but [there were] brutal conditions out there."

Morton wasn’t the only rider to abandon early on. Of the 117 riders that started the Unbound 200 elite men’s race, 37 dropped out before its end. In the women’s, 15 of the 62 starters also abandoned. The drop-out rate was even more staggering in the Unbound XL: only 60 riders finished the 350 mile race, of an initial 237 starters.

Huge names joined Morton in an early race exit. In an Instagram post after the race, Romain Bardet praised his fellow riders' ability to manage the mental load of endurance racing as well as the technical skills needed to manage equipment over nine hours: “It was a day for the brave,” he wrote.

Another rider whose dreams of winning Unbound came to an early end was Nicole Frain. After making it into the lead group, the Oceania Champion crashed hard in a mud ridge. After attempting to readjust her handlebars, Frain continued, though riding with crooked handlebars caused back pain enough for her to abandon.

In a post-race Instagram post, she captured the dualism - and brutality - of gravel racing, writing: "Ahhh this race. It was going so good until it wasn’t."

On the other side of a disappointing Unbound, Lachlan Morton echoed Frain's sentiments. "Drove to Kansas , saw some friends, played in the mud [...] got rained out at the rodeo, now I’m driving home," he wrote in an Instagram post. "That’s the game and I’ll keep playing it.”

Mads Würtz Schmidt was the ultimate winner of the men’s 200, with Sofia Gomez Villafañe winning the women’s. In the Unbound XL, Robin Gemperle and Svenja Betz finished first in their categories.

When top UK gravel rider Jenson Young heads to the UCI Gravel World Championships in Limburg, the Netherlands next week, he won't exactly be riding for fun – but after a recent run of superb results, the pressure will be decidedly off.

He has knocked it out of the park this season, achieving all his goals – including the UK's most epic cyclo-cross race, the 3 Peaks Cyclo-Cross, where he saw off none other than Lachlan Morton on the way to victory.

"The start list this year was stronger than the past fair few years that I've known it," said the Ribble Outliers rider. "So it's definitely better sharing the podium with, like, Lachlan, for sure. And yeah, it's obviously amazing to win."

Young also set a new course record, which he said he hoped would stand for some time and "made it even better". It took some effort, with the 24-year-old averaging 184bpm for almost three hours.

The 3 Peaks is 61km long (38 miles) and is more akin to a tough mountain bike ride than your common-or-garden playing-field cyclo-cross event, with plenty of the 400-odd participants taking more than five hours over it. Riders tackle the three mountain ascents of Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen-y-Ghent in the Yorkshire Dales, England, and six kilometres (four miles) of it is designated unrideable hike-a-bike.

Young's new record of 2:49:17 saw him best EF Education-EasyPost rider Morgan by nearly four-and-a-half minutes, with third-placed Cameron Orr (Hope Tech Factory Racing) finishing another three minutes in arrears.

For his part, Lachlan Morton said on social media that the event was "pure chaos and love and I’ll be back every year I can".

The result certainly cleared up some unfinished business for Young, who was second in the event last year behind winner Giles Drake.

"I was asking people for time gaps the whole way around because there's no way of knowing how far people are behind you in a race like that," he explained. "I obviously knew that there was some really good, strong riders behind me, but I think once I got a gap up the first peak, Ingleborough, I just thought that from there I just had to ride my own race, be smooth on the ascents and and then sort of ride it as a bit of a time trial. I was still giving everything."

"I had no time to rest," he continued. "I didn't know how far anyone was behind me, so I don't think I ever relaxed. I was always pushing as hard as I could. It's pretty extreme and physical. You've got the descents to think about too, which you need a full-suspension mountain bike for, really, it's not built for a 'cross bike.

"When you're going down them, you're holding on to your bars, and your hands are cramping up. My heart rate was still high cos I was having near misses. It's so mentally tiring on the descents because you get so shaken up. It's just flat out."

It was another fine result for Young, who was also victorious in the recent Welsh UCI gravel event Graen Cymru, as well as winning the recent British Gravel Championship time trial at Dalby Forest and coming fourth in the elite men's mass-start event.

His win in the 3 Peaks event was far from the serendipitous by-product of some good form though. He trained hard – and specifically – for it.

He prepared, he says, "specifically what I didn't do last year that I struggle on, like fast walking up steps with the bike. I spent a lot of time in the hills with a weight vest.

"I think overall, it just made my fatigue resistance and strength on the bike, especially after a number of hours, a lot better," he added. "So it's definitely benefited me. It's just a lot of sacrifices you've got to make to be able to do all that."

The events he has already done well in this year gave him the confidence that he could take a result at the 3 Peaks, says Young, and he will now hope to ride that wave at Limburg this Sunday (October 12).

"I'm just gonna go out and enjoy it and get stuck in," he said. "My form recently has been pretty good, so hopefully I'll feel as good as I've done the past few weeks. I'll just go and enjoy it and like, whatever happens happens, and no pressure if I don't get a result.

With his gravel season finished, he will return to his first love – cyclo-cross – to keep him sharp over the winter, including National Trophy and British Championship events, before heading back into the gravel fray in March.

Rob Britton (Castelli SOG) has obliterated the Unbound XL record, blazing through the gruelling 358-mile (576 km) course in 17 hours and 49 minutes. The Canadian endurance specialist held off a relentless challenge from Australian Lachlan Morton (EF Pro Cycling-EasyPost) in an exciting battle for the dot-watchers to follow throughout the night and early morning.

While Morton took the lead early, Britton, a former Canadian national time trial champion, was never far behind. The two entered the final 60 kilometres together, with a margin so thin that it remained anyone's race to win.

"It was just a friggin' grind for ever. I was chasing for hours and hours and hours, and finally I saw this blink of his taillight," Britton told Cycling Weekly. "I didn't make a bigger effort, I just tried to hold him. After the final gas station stop, he was in my sight the whole time. With about 60k, we finally linked up, and we kind of rotated. I've raced him my whole career, and there is a ton of mutual respect between us."

Ultimately, it was the 40-year-old Canadian who rolled into Emporia first, with Morton arriving six minutes later.

"At one point, I turned around and he wasn't there anymore. I don't think it was necessary so much a big effort from me. We were both so on the limit, I just think I had a little bit more in the tank," Britton said.

Like Morton, Britton's background is on the road. He raced professionally from 2010 through 2021, predominantly in North America. He spent much of his professional career racing for teams like Team Raleigh and Rally Cycling (formerly Optum), where he earned a reputation as a consistent GC contender with wins at the Tour of Utah, and Tour of the Gila. He retired in 2021 and turned to off-road adventures instead.

"I have done a decent amount of these [ultra endurance events] now, and I think this kind of solidifies that this is probably what I am good at now."

With strict rules, team tactics, and full support crews, professional gravel racing has become increasingly similar to WorldTour road racing. The XL, on the other hand, remains completely self-supported, with strict rules prohibiting interactions with anyone not in the race. Refuelling only at the occasional gas stations, riders are responsible for their own nutrition, wayfinding on the unmarked course and bike repairs if needed. No support crews. No aid stations. Just the rider, their bike and the open road.

Morton and Britton weren’t the only pro riders drawn to the more adventurous nature of the XL. This year’s XL drew its most competitive field yet, with 208 riders taking on the challenge, including gravel legends and endurance specialists like Ted King, Heather Jackson, Lael Wilcox and Serena Bishop Gordon. According to race organisers at Life Time, it marked the strongest lineup in the discipline to date.

Motoring at an average pace above 20mph, Morton broke away early in the race and appeared to have a smooth, mechanical-free ride, across the infamously rough Flint Hills. Britton, however, was never far behind, keeping the pressure high.

The race pace was so unexpectedly high that it sent organisers scrambling to change the start/finish line setup where the 50- and 25-mile amateur races were still preparing to start, and thousands of riders were still filing into the corrals.

With his finishing time, Britton shattered the previous Unbound XL record of 20:05:36, set by Germany’s Sebastian Breuer in 2024.

Lachlan Morton has added another ultra-cycling record to his count, riding 648km in a day from Auckland to Wellington in New Zealand.

The Australian EF Education-EasyPost rider set out to pay tribute to a post office worker, Brian Fleck, who laid down a fastest known time for the feat in 1983, aged 43.

Morton’s time of 18 hours, 26 minutes and 58 seconds – an average speed of more than 35km/h – took over an hour and a half off Fleck’s benchmark. It also beat the previous record, held by Brian Lambert, who went 10 minutes faster than Fleck in 1984.

Speaking about the challenge, Morton said it was less about breaking the record, and more about “chasing a legend”.

“[It’s about] attempting to bring the past into the present,” Morton said. “The story of Brian Fleck’s 1983 Auckland to Wellington ride is one of these legends, a ride that went on to inspire another generation of young New Zealand cyclists.

“To me these kinds of records are fascinating – a pure test – to see how far and how fast we can go on a bike in one day.”

No stranger to long days in the saddle, Morton broke the record last year for ‘The Lap’ of Australia, riding the entire 14,210km perimeter of the country in 30 days, an average of more than 450km a day.

In 2019, the Australian set a new course record for the Land’s End to John o’ Groats event, GB Duro, completing the 2,000km inside 4 days and 16 hours. He then set out in 2021 to trace the entire Tour de France route and transfers solo, which he finished in 18 days, covering 5,509km.

In the aftermath of his most recent New Zealand challenge, Morton described the day out as a “savage ride”.

“It’s a battle against the terrain, the conditions, Brian’s incredible benchmark,” he said, “but mainly it’s a battle against myself, my own self doubt, the screams from my body to relent.”

While Fleck completed the 648km distance on a steel frame bike, balancing training with a full-time job, Morton, a former WorldTour pro, rode a Cannondale SuperSix EVO LAB71.

The 33-year-old began his record attempt at just after 4am, and finished in darkness at 10:30pm.

Having met with Fleck in the build-up, Morton called the now octogenarian when he arrived in Wellington, to inform him of his success. “It’s a big day out,” the Australian said wearily over the phone. “It was good to go out and see what you guys tackled all those years ago.”

In the space of just four years, Amy Hudson has gone from getting her first bike, to planning to ride the entire Tour de France route.

The 28-year-old, known under her Instagram moniker ‘Amy Cycling Adventures’, is plotting her biggest adventure yet, and will ride 6,300km in 30 days ahead of the men’s race this July.

She will take just two rest days during the trip, meaning she’s set to average 225km a day as she crosses multiple mountain ranges.

“I’ve never done something as big as this, but you only live once,” Hudson told Cycling Weekly. “I had the idea last year and I thought, ‘Let’s just do it.’ I’ve got nothing to lose.”

The Brit will begin her ride in Lille on 27 June – around a week before the men’s Tour begins – and will trace the route for every stage, including the transfers between them. She plans to reach Paris on 26 July, a day before the pros.

Her original inspiration came from seeing Australian pro Lachlan Morton take on the same challenge with his 'Alt-Tour' in 2021. This year, however, the total distance of the transfers between the stages is longer, including one that stretches over 500km.

“I’m doing 1,000km more than [Morton], basically,” Hudson said. “Obviously he’s an ex pro, which I’m not. I’m not going to compare myself to him. He’s just epic.

“I met him at Rouleur Live last year and I told him I was doing it. He asked to look at the route on my phone, and he said, ‘This bit here, you’re going to have a lot of issues with headwinds if you get the same as what I had.’ I was like, ‘Oh great!’” And he said, ‘It’ll be a challenge, but it’s good.’”

A keen endurance cyclist, Hudson is no stranger to tough challenges, and previously completed a 24-hour time trial, managing 648km. Her longest trip to date came last September, when she rode 2,000km from Italy to her home in Derby across eight days.

She will be accompanied in France by her husband, Kyle, who will travel in a van on "snack patrol" and meet her each day.

“My coach messaged me last night with a big, long thing about nutrition, and he said I’m going to be burning like 9,000 to 12,000 calories a day for 30 days, so I’ve got to get a lot of food in,” Hudson said.

“I’ve never used carb drinks, I’ve never used gels, and I don’t drink caffeine, because I don’t like coffee. I’m getting my gut used to eating enough on the bike as well. I don’t want an upset stomach."

Still, she continued, the thing she is most concerned about is the heat, which is likely to top 40°C. “I know the pros put ice in tights, so I’ve already told Kyle to put some ice in tights,” she laughed.

“He’s going to bring his bike because it’s his 30th birthday while we’re out there, so he’s going to ride Mont Ventoux with me on his 30th. Right now it seems like a good idea, but I don’t know if he’ll regret that. We’ll see.”

Hudson’s passion for cycling began after she experienced a “breakdown” in 2021. At the time, she was working as a mental health nurse within the NHS, supporting people with eating disorders.

“In lockdown, I found it really hard,” she explained. “I’ve always struggled myself with anxiety. I actually had an eating disorder as well at university, so it was quite close to home and I just completely had a breakdown. I couldn’t cope.

“I had to leave my job because it was at the point where I just really wasn’t well, and it really wasn’t good. I didn’t want to be here.”

In a bid to help her feel better, her husband decided to gift her a Carrera bike from Halfords. “I don’t know why, because I’d never asked for a bike,” she laughed. “When I was younger, I used to ride with my dad, but I used to hate it.

“So I got the bike, and I went out on my first ride. My dad took me out, and we did 45 miles. I hadn’t cycled in 10 years, and it was really hilly in the Peak District, but I loved it. All I could focus on was my breathing, pushing up the hills, and nature. It was just so peaceful.”

Today, Hudson documents her cycling through her social media channels. She has almost 90,000 followers on Instagram, and over 30,000 subscribers on YouTube, running the accounts alongside a part-time finance role within the NHS. To complete her Tour de France trip this summer, she has been granted a month’s unpaid leave.

“I’m excited for the challenge, but it’s not going to be easy,” she said. “I know it’s not going to be easy. I wanted to pick something that would be hard, because one of the reasons for doing it is to show that, no matter how hard life gets, don’t give up.

“I’m hoping that I can keep going through any pain or anything that goes wrong. I’m a very determined person, so I think, unless I break my leg and actually physically can’t cycle, I will finish it.”

Hudson is raising money for Shout, a 24/7 mental health helpline. Donations can be made to the charity through its website.

Lachlan Morton has completed his record-breaking lap of Australia, taking more than a week off the previous mark.

He finished at 1:54pm local time in his home town of Port Macquarie, NSW, on Saturday, having ridden the 14,210km (8,829 miles) loop – known as 'The Lap' – around his home country in 30 days, 9hrs, 45min.

The new record was revealed by Morton's EF Education team on social media.

The 32-year-old had averaged 420km (261 miles) per day to beat the previous record, which stood at 37 days, 20hrs, 45min. He also raised $122,000 AUD ($83,000 / £63,250) for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

"A huge thank you to everyone who came out and rode with Lachlan, cheered him on, and helped him along the way," EF Education wrote on social media.

"There is so much good in this world, and so many more beautiful corners yet to explore. We hope this inspires you to go out and explore the world."

Morton, who has ridden with EF Education-EasyPost since 2019, began the record attempt on September 5.

He has ridden numerous ultra-distance endeavours in the past, including events like GBDuro and Unbound, and his own 'Alt Tour', which saw him ride the entire length of the Tour de France in 2021, including transfers, in a shorter time than the pros.

His lap of Australia, however, saw him supported for the first time by family and friends in a camper van – making it quite the feat of endurance for those driving, not to mention the van itself.

"It is definitely going to be new to me," Morton said ahead of the ride. "I've been able to have a lot of really amazing experiences doing long bike rides, but being able to share that with a group of people I'm very close with will be very special.

He added: "There will be less to think about besides just continuing to push and push and push. I'm sure everyone will have difficult moments and I'm sure everyone will have very special moments as well. We're going to end up with a whole bunch of stories that we'll save forever."

Demonstrating that he was still open to the world around him rather than laser focused on a record time, Morton even stopped to help out an injured bird during his Aussie epic.

“You might finish a day and you have a huge sense of accomplishment, of relief, and then you’re asleep within 20 minutes,” Morton told CNN sport towards the end of the ride. “And then before you know it, you’ve woken up and you’re back to zero. It’s tough.”

He added: “Rainy days, big, long headwind days – I think mentally they’re probably the most challenging. You’re going to spend 17 or 18 hours just pedalling in one direction straight into the wind, which is quite maddening, to be honest."

Despite the headwinds, snakes, and colliding with a kangaroo at one point, Morton said the experience had been "mind blowing".

“The different experiences you can have just using bikes are pretty remarkable,” he said. “I don’t value any more above the other. It’s just been a journey, you know?”

In his most challenging record attempt to date, Lachlan Morton will look to ride 400km a day to complete a lap of Australia. 

The route, known as 'The Lap', counts 14,201km around the perimeter of Morton's home country, with 44,000m of elevation. The current record stands at 37 days, 20 hours and 45 minutes. 

The EF Education-EasyPost rider will begin his attempt this Thursday 5 September, supported for the first time by his friends and family in a camper van. 

"It is definitely going to be new to me," Morton said. "I've been able to have a lot of really amazing experiences doing long bike rides, but being able to share that with a group of people I'm very close with will be very special. 

"There will be less to think about besides just continuing to push and push and push. I'm sure everyone will have difficult moments and I'm sure everyone will have very special moments as well. We're going to end up with a whole bunch of stories that we'll save forever."

The 32-year-old's Australia lap will be his longest effort to date. His previous longest was 'The Alt Tour' in 2021, when he rode every stage of that year's Tour de France route ahead of the peloton, clocking 5,509km in 18 days. 

"Australia is big," Morton said. "The last time I did a big trip in Australia was with my brother when we rode to Uluru. Through experiences like that you realise that you don't know all of Australia."

"There are all these amazing people who live out in remote areas who you won't cross paths with unless you go out on a big trip like this."

During his record attempt, Morton will be raising funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, a charity that helps give remote Australian communities access to books. 

"Any cause that supports children in rural communities is super important," Morton said. "I hope that we can make a contribution that will impact the lives of kids in rural Australia, so that they can have better access to books and books translated into languages they understand. That will better equip them to adapt to further education and life in general."

The current record for 'The Lap' is held by Dave Alley, set in 2011. Riders are allowed to complete the loop in either direction, but tend to go anti-clockwise due to tailwinds along the south coast. 

Morton will set out from his hometown, Port Macquarie, in New South Wales, and will attempt to finish the ride in 35 days, stopping for eight hours each night. 

Donations can be made through the Indigenous Literacy Foundation's website. Morton’s progress will also be tracked on EF Education-Easypost's website. 

It was Valentine’s Day this week. That’s right, the holiday where couples exchange supermarket-bought cards, heart-shaped chocolates, and go out for an over-priced meal in a badly decorated restaurant, all in the name of love.

Ah yes, Saint Valentine, the patron saint of love. That isn’t his only honour, though. He is also the patron saint of beekeepers, epilepsy and plague. Seriously, look it up. 

Anyway, I know what you’re thinking… What’s this got to do with cycling? Well, nothing, to be honest. I’ve scoured Saint Valentine’s Wikipedia page for references to bicycles or the WorldTour, and there are none. Still, that didn’t stop teams and brands from riding on the love wave this week.

EF Education-EasyPost mocked up a series of cards for the occasion, one of which showed Lachlan Morton swigging from a jar of pickles. Our friends over at Velo did the same, also drawing on the Australian’s appeal, although this time with the tag: “You have the Lach and key to my heart”. 

Don’t get us wrong, we’re big fans of word play here at Cycling Weekly, but the posts that really caught our eye came from Dynamic Bike Care. 

If you haven’t heard of Dynamic, they supply cleaning products to WorldTour teams such as Visma-Lease a Bike and Bora-Hansgrohe. They’re also apparently big fans of Valentine’s Day. 

Over the past week on their Instagram page, the company posted an eight-part series of Valentine’s deals, giving consumers a hint of a reason to splash their cash. “From 7th to 14th February we celebrate not only the love between humans,” they wrote, “but also the love for our bikes.” 

Now this is where it gets weird. In each of the posts, Dynamic posted a slow-mo video of a lady, presumably one of their employees, in a romantic love affair with a bike. It began with her sharing a plate of spaghetti with the front wheel. She then cuddled up on the sofa with the frame, massaged the handlebars, and toasted a wine glass filled with soap product.  

In a particularly strange video, the lady even kissed the bike’s tyre. Eyes closed and all. 

I’ve collated a few of my favourites from Dynamic’s series below, along with a host of non-Valentine’s content, because, let’s be real, it can get quite sickly. 

1. I don't remember this scene from Lady and The Tramp

2. Well, it looks like things moved along quickly

3. Nothing says 'I love you' better than Lachlan Morton sipping pickles

4. We've got a Lotte time for these Valentine's puns 

5. Love is in the air, but don't tell Mrs Majka 

6. Tadej Pogačar's love affair with his hair tufts grows stronger (and longer) by the day

7. Ah, the happy couple, Britney Spears and Justin van der Timberlake

8. Anyway, enough of the Valentine's nonsense. Here's Lidl-Trek goofing around

9. Well they wouldn't have gone to Aldi, would they? 

10. Hats off to GB track sprinter Milly Tanner, who is surprisingly good at the 'headphone challenge'

11. Here's the first in a four-part series in which keirin world champion Ellesse Andrews... choses a bed

12. Post-race exhaustion or the hangover to end all hangovers? 

13. Don't mess with a hungry Remco 

14. Mads Pedersen is a serial winner and part-time meme maker

15. Thomas De Gendt can win from the breakaway, but can he solve a Rubik's cube? Yes. Yes, he can

16. This tweet begs the question - just how swollen is Megan Jastrab's face? 

17. And finally, in homage to Saint Valentine's patronage of epilepsy, here's a very chaotic, but very beautiful montage

Some riders would take it easy once they left the WorldTour peloton, but not Lachlan Morton, who completed his latest long-distance challenge at the weekend, cycling the Great Divide mountain bike route from Canada to the USA's border with Mexico.

Along the way, the Australian EF Education-EasyPost rider had to contend with a broken derailleur, very worn brake pads, saddle sores, and lots of inclement weather.

He completed the 4296km mountain bike route in 12 days, 12 hours and 21 minutes, unofficially breaking the long-held record of 13 days, 22 hours and 51 minutes set in 2016 by ultra-distance legend, the late Mike Hall. It's unofficial because Morton was accompanied by a film crew, which could affect the validity of the "unsupported" nature of the ride, and also the route has changed since Hall's attempt.

And yet, it is still a huge achievement, especially as Morton made a point of forcing himself to stop for sleep every night. He stopped for 30 per cent of his total time, which is about seven hours a day, which is a concerted effort of resting.

"I am really interested to see with this approach, how fast you can really go and if it would be competitive with people who have really pushed that sleep element,”  Morton said before setting out. It looks like he might have found the right balance.

The broken derailleur sounds like it might have stopped a mere mortal, but Morton appears to be able to beat problems like this. He ran his Cannondale Scalpel with SRAM XX1 Eagle, with a 38t front chainring and a 10-52t cassette at the rear, but it appears at about the 12th day of his attempt, the derailleur stopped working, or at least the shifters did.

“I kicked it as hard as I could and then it started working again,” said Morton in an update from the trail, though then it stopped again. With the kicking no longer working, he resorted to shifting via a spoke shoved into the derailleur.

He bodged gear changes by shoving a spare spoke through his derailleur cage and wedging it against the rear triangle of his bike frame, which allowed him access to three gears, although reasonably big ones at that. 

The shifting did return for the final part of the journey, fortunately, so it wasn't horrible forever, fortunately. To add to the peril of not being able to shift gears properly, it appears that he basically had no brake pads left by the end, if this Instagram is anything to go off

Along the thousands of kilometres of riding, Morton had to dodge fires caused by lightning early on in Canada, lots of wet weather, and terrible coffee.

“I have never been so cold for so long on a bike ever,” said Morton from Whitefish, Montana at one point. “But I feel amazing on the bike.”

He was also pictured during the ride drinking pickle juice - standard - along with a Coors lager, Oreos, a hot dog, and a carton of milk. These are the nutritional secrets of a top endurance cyclist, I guess. Once you're cycling a certain distance, it really is all about the calories, and as an unsupported rider, I suppose, you take all the food you can get at a petrol station.

Another famous photo from the ride shows Morton raiding another shop, with a man holding a "FREE HUGS!!" sign outside; the Australian duly obliged the intimacy-giving man; it's all about the marginal gains.

Lachlan Morton is about to begin his latest ultra-endurance challenge: The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.

The most famous of all bikepacking courses, the EF Education-EasyPost rider will set off from Banff, Alberta, Canada on August 29, and is expecting to reach the final destination of Antelope Wells, New Mexico, United States, on September 11.

In 2016, the late Briton Mike Hall completed the 2,696 miles (4,339km) in 13 days, 22 hours and 51 minutes, and Morton - who in the past few years has undertaken a series of challenges including the Alt Tour in which he completed the route of the 2021 Tour de France and all its transfers - is targeting a new fastest known time.

The Australian, 31, will ride from Canada to the Mexican border completely unsupported, buying and cooking his own food, and fixing his own mechanicals. 

"It’s not about whether a record will get broken. It’s about seeing how fast I can do it in a way that is mentally and physically sustainable," Morton said on the eve of his attempt.

"The Great Divide Mountain Bike route is probably the most well known off-road bikepacking route in the world, so once I started getting into bikepacking, it was straight on the bucket list of routes that I wanted to do.

“I have been trying to do it for the last few years and it has just never worked out, but there is a little window in the calendar this year that I can go and ride it. It is obviously super long with lots of remote areas or stretches; it is going to be just a huge challenge, but I think it will be a pretty enjoyable one. 

"There is a lot of the northern States that I haven’t seen, so I think it will be pretty special to explore all of that by bike.

“It is a little bit scary. Anytime you take on something like this, it is good to have a healthy respect or fear for it because there are a lot of things that could go wrong and probably will go wrong.

"Just being aware of that, being prepared with equipment, and also mentally, will hopefully help turn that fear into a bit more excitement.”

Morton will be followed by a camera crew - headed up by his brother - with his team documenting his journey on a daily basis. 

In a change to previous ultra-endurance rides, Morton is prioritising more sleep, with him imposing 12 hours of sleep on himself every 48 hours. He explained: "I want to do this on a pretty good amount of sleep every night for a few reasons. The main one: I want to enjoy the riding, and it becomes increasingly difficult to enjoy what you are doing when you are running on minimal sleep, for me anyway, because you are not as present and aware. I don’t want to enter that space. 

"Also just to be safe, I think that your decision-making and general awareness are pretty diminished if you are running on minimal sleep. I have never ridden this route before. It is a big undertaking, and to try and do all of that while pushing on minimal sleep, I think would be kind of reckless for me. 

"But I still enjoy pushing big distances and mileage, so I am going to be — while I am riding — trying to cover as much distance as I can and trying to do it in a time that is as fast as I can while still sleeping.” 

Morton will be riding a Cannondale Scalpel HT, and will be raising money for Adventure For All, a non-for-profit organisation that empowers individuals with down syndrome, autism and other intellectual and development exceptionalities through outdoor adventures.

Keegan Swenson and Lachlan Morton have teamed up to tackle the Absa Cape Epic, mountain biking's biggest stage race. The duo will race the South African event from 19-26 March, forgoing their trade teams for the race and riding in a joint kit.

Morton, who rides an alternative calendar for EF Education-EasyPost, raced the Cape Epic in 2021 with Team Amani’s Kenneth Karaya in 2021, whike Swenson paired up with cross-country pro Maxime Marotte for 11th overall last year.

Morton is a familiar name in the world of cycling, having latterly raced for EF at WorldTour level, but it is escapades away from the road peloton that have gained the Australian fame and respect.

These adventures include the "Alt Tour" in 2021, when he rode the entire Tour de France route, including transfers, solo, and his ride to the Ukraine border last year to raise money for refugees from the warzone.

Swenson, of Santa Cruz Bicycles, meanwhile, is the current US national cross-country MTB champion, and also won the Life Time Grand Prix gravel race last year. It is also his second attempt.

“He is probably the strongest and most experienced partner I am ever going to get for this race," Morton said in a press release from EF. "When he asked me if I was interested in doing it, I had to think about it, because I was worried I was not going to be on his level.

"Then, I realised that I had a few months to focus and get ready to test myself against the world’s best mountain bikers. It is kind of a daunting prospect, but the fact that I was scared about it, and am nervous about it, means that it is a worthwhile thing to take on.”

The Cape Epic consists of eight-days of racing, with riders covering 658km in total, which includes 15,775m of climbing. It is tackled in pairs as a safety measure.

“Racing with Keegan is going to be awesome,” Morton said. “He is probably the strongest and most experienced partner I am ever going to get for this race. When he asked me if I was interested in doing it, I had to think about it, because I was worried I was not going to be on his level.

“Then, I realized that I had a few months to focus and get ready to test myself against the world’s best mountain bikers. It is kind of a daunting prospect, but the fact that I was scared about it, and am nervous about it, means that it is a worthwhile thing to take on.”

Despite never having raced as a team, there are reasons for hope for the pair.

“I think we have a chance,” Swenson said. “I don’t know that we’re gonna be the quickest team there, but I think we’ll be the most durable and consistent. Both of us can just go for a long time. We’re both good climbers. Coming from road, he [Morton] has so much experience racing the WorldTour, which can be valuable for this type of racing. Between his road and my XC, we have a big toolbox that others don’t have.

“You are not just relying on yourself at the Cape Epic. You have to take care of your partner and your partner needs to take care of you. You need to strategize for how the days will play out and that adds a whole other dynamic to racing that most other races don’t have, so I am really looking forward to it. Lachlan is probably one of the chillest dudes I know, so I think it is going to be fun racing with him. I am excited. We are ready to get cracking.”

Fastest known times (FKTs) are exactly what they sound like: the fastest known time it has taken someone to complete an established route. 

Encompassing three of cyclists’ favorite metrics—speed, distance and time—it’s no surprise that FKTs are becoming more of a trend and why numerous high-profile riders are pursuing them.

FKTs and Cycling 

Chasing records and Fastest Known Time attempts have long been a fixture in the trail running and hiking communities but remained at the fringes of cycling until racing was disrupted by the COVID pandemic in 2020. With COVID-19 causing race cancellations and postponements the world over, many of cycling’s fittest riders looked for new ways to challenge themselves, stay motivated and satisfy sponsors.

The pandemic helped push FKTs into the mainstream of cycling and riders like WorldTour roadie-turned-gravel pro Peter Stetina believe “they have a place in cycling and hope they’re here to stay.” 

Pro road cyclist and mountain biker, Lachlan Morton, said he was first “intrigued by FKTs because I think it’s cool that you can take a route that anyone can do and test yourself on it.” 

These days for Morton, “it’s not about chasing the record. It’s about having that experience.”  

The challenge FKTs present and how they push him into uncomfortable situations and allow him to see how he responds are a large part of the appeal.   

In a video documenting her women’s FKT on the White Rim Trail, mountain biker Alexis Skarda says that she thinks “FKT records are interesting because the time continuously gets harder and faster and more competitive. And every time someone goes after it and beats it, people are like, oh, no one will ever be able to get a time faster than that, but then someone always does.” 

With FKTs coming into the spotlight, riders everywhere are discovering their many appealing qualities, like a course uncrowded by competitors, lack of registration fees and the ability to work on your own timetable, all while taking in some of the country’s most tantalizing routes. According to ultra-endurance athlete Kait Boyle, “the act of racing solo adds a challenge of being self-motivated, unwaveringly focused and self-sufficient.” 

Adding to the allure of FKTs are the variety of options available, from one-day efforts like the 62-mile Rose to Toads route to multi-day sufferfests like the more than 800-mile Arizona Trail on desolate asphalt, and from remote gravel to wilderness singletrack. As Stetina points out, FKT attempts also allow riders to compete on iconic trails where head-to-head racing isn’t possible. 

A large number of the most vied-for FKTs simply don’t lend themselves to conventional racing; some were built to support small groups of riders or cross sensitive areas, others simply don’t have established races, while some routes have an established ethic, such as riding solo and unsupported.   

“Organized mass-start races are so fun, don’t get me wrong, but they’re so different because the people around you in the race, the cheers from spectators and aid stations all completely change the experience and result of the race,” said Boyle.

 Ultimately FKTs are a race stripped to its barest and feature just two competitors, the biker and the clock. 

FKT Rules

While the trail running community has well-established rules and a website that’s been tracking best efforts for years, the FKT trend in biking is still in its formative period. There is now a website devoted solely to cycling’s fastest known times and while not as robust as its running counterpart, it’s a good start and likely to grow with the rise in rider interest. 

Stetina says that “there are still a lot of great rides,” and that “establishing, showcasing, incentivizing, and encouraging rides is part of the fun.” 

Cycling’s Fastest Known Times has three FKT categories: 

• Unsupported: rode alone, received no assistance, and carried all your food and water
• Supported: had outside help from a crew or individual 
• Team: rode with someone acting as a pacer or mule for all or part of the way

FKTs are also divided by gender: male, female and non-binary. To claim an FKT, riders must verify their time with the GPS file of their effort downloaded directly from their computer or watch. 

Pro mountain bikers and FKT aficionados, Kait Boyle and Kurt Refsnider, have also started documenting select FKTs on their website, the Backcountry Bike Challenge. They track men’s and women’s FKTs, as well as provide specific rules for FKT chasers tackling the routes. 

The Appeal of Chasing FKTs

The great thing about the relative newness of cycling FKTs is that they’re ripe for the picking. 

For the moment, the pros are content to compete against one another on a few prominent and hotly contested routes, like the White Rim, the Great Divide and Colorado Trail, leaving a multitude of classics still awaiting established times. 

While not everyone can throw down a jaw-dropping time, everyone can, as Boyle says, “experience in striving for your best on the route.” Even if it’s ‘just’ a personal best. 

An enormous part of the draw of FKTs is the accessibility. You don’t need a sponsor, a qualifying time at another event or to show up on a specific day to compete. All you need are a strong will, powerful legs and a quick time. You’ll also need a route that will inspire and spark interest in other riders, whether it’s a hot regional spot, a nationally recognized route or a popular bucket-list ride. Other riders, like Boyle, are drawn to the puzzle-like nature of FKTS, putting pieces like daylight, weather and conditions together for the fastest possible ride.  

Even if you’re not likely to tick an FKT, they’re an excellent way to see how you stack up against some of the world’s best riders—you can’t step on the same basketball court as Steph Curry or a football field with Tom Brady, but you can tackle the same trail as some of the best cyclists on the planet. Just think of how you would stack up against Keegan Swenson’s White Rim Trail time of 5 hours, 28 minutes, and 17 seconds or Lachlan Morton’s 3 days and 10 hours on the Colorado Trail.

Notable Fastest Known Times 

FKTs are found everywhere, but some are better known, more prestigious and see higher levels of competition. These include: 

White Rim Trail  

Located outside Moab, Utah, and snaking through Canyonlands National Park, the White Rim Trail is one of the most iconic mountain bike trips in the world and is currently one of the most active FKT scenes in the sport. Keegan Swenson (three-time U.S. National XC Champion), Payson McElveen (two-time U.S. XC Marathon National Champion) and gravel star Peter Stetina have jockeyed for the record on this all-time route with Swenson currently holding the FKT at 5 hours, 28 minutes and 17 seconds. The women have been busy on the White Rim as well, with Alexis Skarda (one-time U.S. XC Marathon National Champion) and Hannah Wood going back and forth for the best time. The FKT currently belongs to Skarda at 6 hours, 52 minutes and 52 seconds.  

Kokopelli Trail 

Another classic mountain bike trip that has become an epicenter of FKT attempts is the Kokopeli Trail—a 140-mile mixture of singletrack and double track that connects Moab, Utah, to Loma, Colorado, and climbs more than 18,000 feet. Over the last few years, renowned ultra-cyclist Kurt Refsnider, all-arounder Lachlan Morton and Peter Stetina have battled for the FKT. Stetina has posted the fastest time to date, completing the Kokopelli Trail in 10 hours, 24 minutes and 43 seconds. Kait Boyle holds the women’s FKT on the route—scorching the route in 13 hours, 7 minutes and 58 seconds and besting mountain bike legend Rebecca Rusch’s best time. 

Arkansas High Country Race  

The up-and-coming cycling hotspot of Arkansas has also been in the FKT spotlight with numerous best times recently set on its Arkansas High Country Race route—a 1,000+ mile mixed-surface course with more than 75,000 feet of elevation gain and loss. Over the past few years, ultra-cyclist Jay Petervary, gravel grinder Ted King and Arkansas local Ernie Lechuga have all held the FKT. Lechuga owns the current best time of 4 days, 14 hours and 13 minutes. Scotti Lechuga—who is coincidentally married to Ernie—holds the women’s FKT at 5 days, 10 hours and 49 minutes. 

South Downs Way Double 

South Downs Way is one of the U.K.’s best-known National Trails and the only one that is traversable by bike, which makes it prime for FKTs. Recent efforts have focused on riding the historic South Downs Way as an out-and-back—known as the South Downs Way Double—a route totaling 200 miles and more than 24,000 feet of elevation. For more than a decade, one of either endurance cyclist Josh Ibbett or biker Ian Leitch has held the FKT, with Leith’s best effort—15 hours and 35 minutes—standing since 2016. Thinking about going after this FKT or wondering just how hard the South Downs Way Double is? Cycling Weekly contributor Stefan Abram put in a sub-20-hour effort on the trail in 2021. 

Trans Cambrian Way 

The Trans Cambrian Way is a just-over-100-mile route climbing more than 10,000 feet that traverses from the English border to the Irish Sea while crossing the oldest mountain range in Europe—the Cambrian Mountains. It’s also the site of numerous recent FKT attempts. Over the past few years, endurance cyclist Matt Page and gravel newcomer Metheven Bond have had the honor; Page currently holds the FKT, completing the route in a sizzling 8 hours, 27 minutes and 30 seconds. Just this summer, ultra-cyclist Molly Weaver set the women’s FKT in an impressive 10 hours and 41 minutes.

Funnest Known Time 

FKTs are a great way for pros to push themselves and compete without the formality of racing while allowing everyday riders to measure themselves against the giants of the sport while fueling the competitive spirit on some of the world’s best routes. In the end, fastest known times are fun and another way to enjoy the spirit of cycling—even if it’s type two fun.

EF Education-EasyPost rider Lachlan Morton will attempt to break the around the world record at some point in the next few years, his team manager Jonathan Vaughters has revealed. 

The current world record is 78 days, 14 hours and 40 minutes, held since 2017 by long-distance cyclist Mark Beaumont.

Speaking exclusively to Cycling Weekly, Vaughters said that Morton had initially hoped to undertake the challenge in 2023, but has had to delay his plans.

“What we wanted to do was to try the around the world record [in the second half of 2023], but the sticking point on that right now is Russia,” Vaughters said. 

“We don’t think that’s going to be possible next year, so we’re trying to come up with a plan B right now,” he added. “What that is, we’re not sure yet.”

When asked if Morton was eager to try and break the record, Vaughters said: “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes. Very keen. It’s just that I don’t think it’s going to happen in 2023.” 

In a text exchange with Cycling Weekly, Morton confirmed that he has spoken about the challenge with his team, but there is "nothing concrete" at the moment. 

To constitute an official attempt, the 30-year-old will have to ride a distance of 29,000km (18,000 miles) continuously in one direction. Brit Beaumont rode an average of 240 miles a day and later described his trip as “the longest two and a half months of my life”. 

Morton began shifting his focus to off-road events in 2019, when he took on Unbound Gravel, Leadville 100, GBDuro and the Three Peaks Cyclocross race. 

This season, the EF Education-EasyPost rider competed in just one road race, the four-day Gran Camiño held in the northern Spanish region of Galicia. According to Vaughters, the Australian is unlikely to return to the road in 2023. 

“He won’t be doing any road races, really,” Vaughters said. “In the early part of the year he wants to get away from doing real ultra events and kind of focus on trying to win in gravel.

“He has lost a lot of his explosive power from doing these massive 4,000km events. So he’s training a little bit more in an explosive manner.” 

Last month, Morton joined a host of WorldTour riders including Peter Sagan and Mathieu van der Poel on the startline at the inaugural UCI Gravel World Championships. The Australian finished 18th on the day, six and half minutes down on the winner, Alpecin Deceuninck’s Gianni Vermeersch. 

Speaking last November about his alternative race calendar, Morton said: “At these races, you’re relying on yourself and you don’t really know what kind of a challenge you’re going to come up against. That’s a cool feeling to have. That’s what attracts me to these kinds of adventures."

Lachlan Morton has raised over $200,000 for the Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund through an epic bike ride from Munich to Ukraine’s border with Poland.

The EF Education-EasyPost rider cycled for 42 hours straight in order to cover the 1064km, and has more than quadrupled his original goal of $50,000.

He arrived at the Korczowa - Krakovets border in western Poland in the early hours of Monday morning, having departed Munich on Saturday morning. He rode through the breadth of Czechia and all of southern Poland on his journey.

“Well we made it to the border here,” Morton said as he reached the end. “Thanks to everyone who supported this trip, everyone who made it out today and rode, they made it a very special day. You know this marks the end of a chosen hardship for me, but this is symbolic of a hardship that is being forced on a whole bunch of people, on the other side of this border. I’m glad that as the cycling community we could get together and help support those people.”

The crisis relief fund aims to helps Ukrainians who have had to flee the Russian invasion by providing shelter, food and clean water. GlobalGiving also offers health and psychological support, and access to education and economic assistance. 

According to UN estimates, more than 1.85 million people have been displaced by the conflict in Ukraine, with more than 2.5 million people also leaving the country, mostly to surrounding states like Poland and Slovakia.

“I’m just trying to do the one thing I know how to do and engage the bike-riding community to help,” Morton explained ahead of his trip. “My idea is to highlight the fact that war is not a far-off problem. Conflicts are a bike ride away, all over the world.

“That’s the intention behind it, and to try and raise as much money as we can to help out people who have been displaced.”

Speaking before his adventure, the Australian said he was partly inspired to ride through witnessing the effect it had on Ukrainian teammate Mark Padun.

“That made it hit closer to home, having a teammate who is directly impacted by it. I found it hard to focus on trying to get ready for a race when something so significant was happening in the world.

“I kept thinking, wow, I could actually do that in one ride. So that was my idea. I’m not an overly political person. I’m not an expert in any of this. I’m just trying to do the one thing I know how to do and engage the bike-riding community to help."

People can still donate to the cause here.

Lachlan Morton has announced, starting tomorrow (Saturday March 19), he will ride 1,063km from Munich to the Ukrainian border without stopping to raise money for GlobalGiving's Ukrainian Crisis Relief Fund. 

Morton said hearing news of Russia's invasion of Ukraine while racing the Gran Camiño in Spain impacted him greatly. The Australian subsequently decided that attempting this ride would help mobilise the cycling community into supporting the European country. 

Speaking of the decision, Morton said: "I’m not an expert in any of this, but this was the one way I could think of to try to create a small bit of help and relief.

"My idea is to highlight the fact that war is not a far-off problem. Conflicts are a bike ride away, all over the world. That’s the intention behind it, and to try and raise as much money as we can to help out people who have been displaced.”

"I hope that covering that distance on a bike, and interacting with people on the way, will help to cement the reality of it a bit more.”

He continued, expressing the impact Russia's invasion further had on him was compounded by witnessing the effect it had on Ukrainian teammate Mark Padun. 

“That made it hit closer to home, having a teammate who is directly impacted by it. I found it hard to focus on trying to get ready for a race when something so significant was happening in the world.

“I kept thinking, wow, I could actually do that in one ride. So that was my idea. I’m not an overly political person. I’m not an expert in any of this. I’m just trying to do the one thing I know how to do and engage the bike-riding community to help."

Mark Padun is supportive of Morton's ride, despite feeling a sense of helplessness these last few weeks. 

“Honestly, I don’t know what people should do. I don’t know what I personally can do.

“It is difficult to fully concentrate because you are aware that a war is still happening in your country. What the people of Ukraine need is for the war to be stopped. But what Lachlan is doing is good. The more people who are speaking about this, the better. It is great that he is raising money for Ukrainian refugees, too.”

Morton's goal is to raise $50,000 for the fund, which helps Ukrainians who have had to flee the Russian invasion by providing shelter, food and clean water. GlobalGiving also offers health and psychological support, and access to education and economic assistance. 

EF Education First, Cannondale and Rapha have all combined to donate $100,000 to the relief fund, which is already live on GlobalGiving's website.

Lachlan Morton is selling the EF Education-Nippo Rapha jersey he wore to complete his Alt Tour this summer on eBay.

Morton cycled the entire 2021 Tour de France route by himself on his Alt Tour, setting off from Brittany on the opening stage of the event on the same day as the peloton. However, the Australian managed to reach Paris in 18 days, cycling the 5,509km route five days quicker than the main group. 

He completed the route, transfers included, unsupported in aid of World Bicycle Relief, raising around £500,000. Unlike the Tour riders, Morton slept in a tent throughout the duration of his challenge, while also carrying the extra gear throughout his ride too. 

Remarkably, he also switched to wearing sandals during the ride too, after he suffered unbearable knee pain because of the new cleats he had installed on his shoes.

Now though, the EF Education-Nippo cyclist is selling the jersey he wore to complete the Alt Tour, which, at the time of writing, has a current highest bid of $3,300. There have been 80 bids so far, with the auction ending on Wednesday 15 December at 12:45pm GMT. 

Morton explained on Instagram his decision to sell the jersey: "This is the jersey I wore for the entirety of the Alt Tour. We had some times. I thought about holding onto it but it can do more good changing hands than under my bed."

Morton will donate all proceeds from the jersey sale to Pedaling Minds, a Colorado-based cycling charity aiming to educate people through cycling, providing confidence and control through lessons and programmes.

He also states in the description he "will sign it if you want it defaced."

The Australian is selling the jersey on his own personal eBay account, which only has a 75 per cent feedback rating. Despite having three positive reviews, one buyer gave Morton a negative score after claiming he failed to send a Specialized Zee Cage II bottle cage.

The review stated Morton is a "terrible seller" who "shouldn't be on eBay". 

However, with the high-profile nature of the charity auction, Morton's previous feedback shouldn't be a cause for concern. 

Lachlan Morton is taking on yet another brutal challenge as he is set to ride the 1,124km mountain bike race known as The Munga in the South African desert during the height of summer.

Morton, who rides for UCI WorldTour team EF Education-Nippo, is no stranger to these epic challenges with the Australian rider already completing Land's End to John O'Groats, The Alt Tour where he road the entire route of the Tour de France including the transfers, and another South African MTB race the Cape Epic.

Now Morton takes on another challenge with The Munga. This race is largely unaided with just five support villages and 10 water stops as well as an elevation gain of 6,500 metres with a time limit of 100 hours. Away from the support villages, the riders will receive no help.

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The 29-year-old does seem to be going into the unknown with this race though: "To be honest, I don’t know a huge amount about the specifics of the race apart from the fact that it’s really long and very remote but I’m looking forward to discovering it as it goes," Morton said.

"There are five different checkpoints and then the rest of it is unsupported where you’re looking after yourself. I like races that have that element where you’re left to your own devices."

The distance part shouldn't be an issue for Morton after riding around 200 miles per day when riding his Alt Tour taking 18 days to complete a mind-blowing 5,500km.

Starting in the city of Bloemfontein the race takes on some of the most barren terrain in the country as they are guided by their GPS routes before coming to an end at the Doolhof wine estate in Wellington.

The first section is 224km with the next five sections of the race covering similar distances before the final 88km to the finish from checkpoint five.

"I love just applying myself fully to something that requires all of you and just adapting to whatever situation you’re in," he continued. "I like being on the start line and not knowing what’s coming. 

"At these races, you’re relying on yourself and you don’t really know what kind of a challenge you’re going to come up against. That’s a cool feeling to have. That’s what attracts me to these kinds of adventures."

His team has backed these forays into the unknown for professional road cyclists and has prompted other pros to have a go with Bora-Hansgrohe sending two riders to Cape Epic and other riders starting up their gravel racing careers.

Morton has only ridden six road races this season with his highest placing being 12th at the very mountainous Mercan'Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes. 

The Munga MTB starts on Wednesday, December 1 and will come to a close on Monday, December 6.

Rapha and EF Education-Nippo have released an insightful documentary on YouTube detailing Lachlan Morton's epic 2021 Tour de France challenge, where the Australian completed the route five days quicker than the peloton. 

He also completed the route, transfers included, unsupported in aid of World Bicycle Relief, raising around £500,000. 

The video showcases the course that Morton had to attack by himself, as he climbs some of the country's toughest mountains in both the Alps and the Pyrenees. Most spectacularly of all though, is the journey that the 29-year-old managed by simply using sandals and platform pedals, after he suffered unbearable knee pain because of the new cleats he had installed on his shoes.

"I'm not a superhuman," Morton said. "I think it's important to show that human element in sport, particularly in cycling, because you don't see it. You see the four hours of guys doing battle on the road, and the rest of what goes on is somewhat of a mystery."

Morton's less than ideal nutrition while riding the course is also captured, with the Australian eating at roadside cafés and shops instead of the usual high quality meals afforded to the Tour riders. 

Unlike the Tour riders, Morton slept in a tent throughout the duration of his 18-day challenge, and had to carry all of this extra gear throughout his ride too - adding a heap of unwanted weight to make his Alt Tour that little bit tougher.

What is most impressive though is witnessing Morton's unwavering positivity throughout the ride, as he attempted to inspire others to get on their bikes. 5,510 kilometres after leaving Brittany on the same day as the Tour de France peloton, Morton's arrival in Paris was met with a bottle of champagne, rather than the yellow jersey.

However, the highs and lows of the gruelling task is available for all to see in the brilliant video, providing a glimpse into just how difficult the Tour is - albeit in much more testing circumstances.