tHis career, Lachlan Morton, spent a long day on his bike among the world's outstanding, ultra-durable cyclists. The Australians competed against Espania in Vuelta and Giro Italy, riding British John Ogloat from the end of the land, and last year spent a month riding 14,200km in Australia.
However, there was no day compared to the effort to end in 4:09am in Wellington, New Zealand, and 18.5 hours later in Auckland. Covering 648 km from New Zealand's capital to the largest city in less than a day, Australian cyclists have made history.
It started with the phone. Last August, Morton was chatting with Kiwi's friend Hayden McCormick. McCormick explained how his first cycling coach, Brian Fleck, set the Oakland Wellington record for 20 hours on the bike in 1983.
“When he told me about it, I was trying to get my head around how quickly he did it during that period,” Morton tells the Australian Guardian.
“It seemed like an amazing record, but it was incredible no one really knew about it. It sparked interest and we plotted slowly. One, if we could do it sooner or not It was fun to watch, but the main reason was to celebrate the ride he went to years ago.”
Fleck's achievements were amazing. The New Zealander was in his 40s at the time, employed as a post office worker, where he trained before and after a year of preparation. He completed his ride to the steel bike with intermittent time checks from the support van.
“Considering the context at the time – the equipment and the fact that he was 43 years old, working full-time,” Morton marvels Wellington at the short film telling him about the Oakland ride.
“Even ignoring the context, this was a greater ride than local folklore and a ride that should have been known internationally.”
And in January, Morton set out from the darkness of Wellington on the mission to go to Auckland on the other end of New Zealand's North Island before the end of the day. To celebrate Fleck's record, Morton and his support team – the ride of Australia's world tour team EF Pro Cycling – minimized reliance on modern advancements.
“We wanted to replicate the same conditions as much as possible,” he says. “The modern equipment is obviously very good, but we didn't dial all the nutrition. Morton also met with Fleck in advance, heard his insights and respected the record holder. It represented.
After 4:09am, it was just against Morton and his watch against bike. “It was a big day,” he admits. “If we quantified it in terms of pure energy output on a single ride, it was probably the best [I’ve ever done]. It was a complete 18.5 hours of focus. ”
He was having a good time as Morton approached Auckland. A headwind was then hit, with 200 km remaining.
“It was really challenging,” he says. “It was paired correctly with when fatigue really started. I guess [it was] It differs in that it was only one day. So, saving energy for the next day and not eating for a long period like Australia, but leaving everything in one day. ”
Morton digs deep and cheers on the support crew in the following vans, reaching the finish at 10:36pm, 18 hours and 28 minutes after finally leaving Wellington. “This isn't just chasing new records,” the cyclist said in the short film, “I'm chasing legends. I'm trying to bring the past into the present.”
Morton's achievements are even more surprising considering he came a few months after completing his record-breaking journey in Australia. The cyclists took just two weeks off after completing the loop on mainland Australia in October and began construction towards New Zealand's efforts. “To be honest, it wasn't a ton of downtime,” he admits.
This weekend, Morton will begin a bike packing race in Columbia, starting in Bogota, passing through the country where he grew coffee, heading to Medellin. This is the beginning of the Glove Trotting Race season calendar.
“It's a big season,” says the 33-year-old. “This is the beginning of the race whirlwind. The idea is to explore new racing, a new frontier in cycling for me. Sports is growing rapidly, and various events are appearing around the world. This year's challenge is to experience the world of racing and what I can do, and all the countries, people and cultures that come with it.”
A big year for Morton – his toughest day on the 18.5 hour bike from Wellington to Auckland is at least behind him.
