On Sunday, September 10, Lachlan Morton reached the US-Mexico border, putting the finishing touch on his audacious record-breaking attempt along the Great Divide mountain bike route.

Morton conquered the formidable 2,670-mile trail in a jaw-dropping time of 12 days, 12 hours, and 21 minutes, obliterating the previous record of 13 days, 22 hours, and 51 minutes set in 2016 by the ultra-distance legend, the late Mike Hall.

While this achievement is nothing short of remarkable, it may not be officially recognized for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Morton was accompanied by a film crew, potentially compromising the record’s validity as an ‘unsupported’ ride, even though Morton was entirely self-sufficient during his journey.

Secondly, the Great Divide route itself has undergone various alterations in the seven years since Hall’s record-breaking feat, making it challenging to draw direct comparisons. Notably, Hall’s ride covered 2,713 miles—almost 45 miles more than Morton’s recent endeavor.

The Great Divide route commences in Banff, nestled in Canada’s Rockies, and snakes southward along the Continental Divide, traversing the Rocky Mountains until it reaches the US-Mexico border. Renowned as one of the world’s most iconic long-distance off-road routes, it was originally charted by the Adventure Cycling Association back in 1997.

As one might anticipate for a trail weaving through a mountain range, it is extraordinarily hilly, with Morton accumulating a staggering 36 miles of elevation gain during his adventure.

What sets Morton’s approach apart from that of most ultra-athletes is his focus on obtaining adequate rest. Instead of attempting to ride with minimal sleep, a strategy commonly embraced by record-breaking ultra-athletes, Morton scheduled 12 hours of rest every 48 hours. Initially, he didn’t set his sights on smashing the fastest-known time (FKT), stating at the outset: “It’s going to be around two weeks, maybe more.”

Astoundingly, Morton not only clinched the record but did so while being stationary for slightly over seven hours each day. It appears that his extended periods of rest might have been the key to his success. Whether this unconventional approach will influence the broader world of ultra-distance racing remains to be seen.

Nevertheless, the ride was not without its challenges. On the eleventh day of his journey, Morton encountered a derailleur malfunction. Despite his best efforts to rectify the issue, he found himself temporarily stranded. Morton revealed that he resorted to a brute-force approach: “I kicked it as hard as I could, and then it started working again.” However, this solution was short-lived, and the derailleur remained temperamental for the rest of the day. To reach the finish line, Morton ingeniously improvised by using a spare spoke to jury-rig the derailleur, enabling him to manually shift gears.

Given that he was averaging approximately 3 miles of climbing each day, fueling Morton’s record-breaking ride required an immense caloric intake. However, as it was an unsupported endeavor, Morton had to procure all his food from gas stations and stores along the way. Consequently, Morton subsisted on a peculiar medley of junk food, milk, and beer during his journey, living up to his reputation for tolerating truly unconventional culinary combinations.

Beyond the personal achievement, Morton leveraged this journey to raise funds for Adventure for All, amassing over $20,000 in donations with more contributions still pouring in. EF Education-EasyPost has announced that the ride will be documented in an upcoming film produced by Thereabouts, a company founded by Lachlan’s brother, Gus Morton.

 

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