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 the 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.
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.”
