Lachlan Morton to target Mark Beaumont's around the world record
The Australian could take on the challenge in 2024


The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Thank you for signing up to The Pick. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
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."
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is the host of The TT Podcast, which covers both the men's and women's pelotons and has featured a number of prominent British riders.
An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides.
He's also fluent in French and Spanish and holds a master's degree in International Journalism.
-
-
Best long sleeved cycling jerseys 2023 for fall and spring riding, reviewed and rated
A long sleeved cycling jersey is a riding wardrobe staple, providing protection against cooler temperatures
By Hannah Bussey Published
-
‘Infectious positivity’ helped Jack Rootkin-Gray earn his first WorldTour ride with EF Education-EasyPost
Brit to make WorldTour debut in 2024 with Jonathan Vaughters managed American team
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Free hugs, pickle juice and a broken derailleur: Lachlan Morton's monster Tour Divide effort
The Australian endurance-specialist broke the record for the 4296km, and had to contend with just three gears at the end
By Adam Becket Published
-
‘I couldn’t walk afterwards’ - Cyclist smashes 24-hour city bike record
Will Bright rode over 212 miles in a day last month. Here's how he found it
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Lachlan Morton to attempt to break The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route record
The EF Education-EasyPost rider is aiming to beat the record set by the late Mike Hall in 2016
By Chris Marshall-Bell Published
-
You could own a Giro edition EF Education-EasyPost Pro Cycling team bike
Bicycle manufacturer Cannondale has partnered with the Los Angeles Bike Academy to raffle off Jonathan Caicedo's race bike from the 2021 Giro d'Italia.
By Henry Lord Published
-
Rapha to redesign Richard Carapaz's Olympic champion jersey after UCI rule oversight
The EF Education-EasyPost rider's jersey lacked the necessary gold piping
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Does Richard Carapaz’s Rapha Olympic champion's jersey break UCI rules?
The Ecuadorian's special EF Education-EasyPost kit might not be gold enough for the UCI
By Tom Davidson Published
-
French rider almost paralysed after crashing at 130km/h in speed record attempt
François Pervis says "a few millimetres more and I would have been paralysed" after high-speed incident
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Dinosaurs instead of ducks: Rapha and Palace roll out cartoon critters with celebratory EF Education kit
The kit will be worn by both EF Education-Tibco-SVB and EF Education-EasyPost to celebrate the return of the Tour de France Femmes
By Ryan Dabbs Published