Lachlan Morton sets off on solo Tour de France, aiming to beat peloton to Paris

Lachlan Morton is riding the Tour de France solo and hoping to arrive in Paris before the peloton.

The EF Education - Nippo pro is riding all stages and transfers of the 2021 French Grand Tour, aiming to reach the French capital before his EF Education - Nippo team-mates and the rest of the peloton on Sunday July 18.

The Australian, who has become known for his outlandish endurance efforts while also riding in the WorldTour, set off from Brest on stage one an hour after the race, and on the morning of the stage two was already past the second start line as the peloton were having their breakfast.

The 2021 race will cover more than 3,300km, but Morton will ride 5,500km, riding from the finish line of one stage to the start of the next. In order to give himself the best chance of making it to Paris first, with the peloton set to fly from Bordeaux in the southwest of the country to the capital after the conclusion of the penultimate stage 20. 

The 29-year-old will also ride on rest days, telling the Guardian he will attempt to ride mostly during daylight as there's less to distract the mind during night-time pedalling.

“We thought about doing it last year during the Giro, but in the end I had to ride the race,” Morton said.

“We kept throwing the idea around and then thought about doing it during the Tour. It’s a celebration of the original Tour and what it was all about to begin with. I realised it was going to be a huge undertaking. I’m not even sure if it’s possible."

Morton's nod to the Tour is a reminder of when participants would have to fix their own bikes en route, raced through the night and slept in fields, and he will also be bivvying on the side of the road in between café stops to resupply.

You can follow Morton's progress through France by clicking here, and donate to his World Bicycle Relief fund here.