‘It’s a lot of pedaling, mate’: Cyclist Lachlan Morton sets record pace on 14,200km tour of Australia | Cycling

“It’s not a holiday,” says Lachlan Morton, an Australian professional cyclist who is more than a third of the way through his epic bike ride across Australia.

More than a century ago, in June 1899, Arthur Richardson left Perth to cycle the circumference of the Australian continent, returning 245 days later. Richardson’s epic journey was part of a long-distance cycling movement known as “the Overlanders” that flourished at the turn of the century.

In the 125 years since, dozens of Australians have attempted to cycle across the country. The current record stands at 37 days, 20 hours and 45 minutes, set by Queenslander David Alley in 2011. But nearly two weeks into his own quest, Morton – who rides for professional team EF Education–EasyPost – is on course to break that time.

“It’s good,” he tells Guardian Australia over the phone during a short rest. “Difficult, of course. But we’re enjoying it.”

The 32-year-old set off from his hometown of Port Macquarie earlier this month. He reached Darwin last weekend (his progress can be followed via an online tracker). By Tuesday, he had passed Kununurra and was heading southwest towards Broome – almost 6,000km on the road.

The rules for official attempts in Australia stipulate that cyclists must complete a minimum of 14,200km and pass through six locations: Sydney, Brisbane, Darwin, Broome, Perth, Esperance, Adelaide and Melbourne. Otherwise, cyclists can choose their own route, although they usually ride anti-clockwise to take advantage of the prevailing tailwind. Last year, Lesa Ashford became the first woman to complete the circuit.

Morton was a promising cyclist early in his career, competing in the World Tour for several years, winning the Tour of Utah and competing in the Vuelta a España and Giro d’Italia. But the Australian has always had an adventurous streak.

In 2014, Morton and his brother Angus rode from Port Macquarie to Uluru – a 2,500km ride – and turned the journey into a documentary, Thereabouts. It became a hit within the cycling community and led to similar documented rides around the world.

“It’s completely different,” Morton says of his transition from racing to these long-distance episodes. “It’s such an individual and mental thing. The demands on the body to do something like this are much greater. You have to be able to push yourself when things aren’t ideal, whereas in a professional environment everything is set up to be absolutely ideal.

“You’re sharing the road with someone who might be going to work, or at work,” he says. “The real world is happening around you. I think I prefer that kind of thing, to be honest.”

Morton says he tries to “take each day as it comes.” He sleeps for about seven hours in the afternoon and evening, before setting off in the early hours and riding into the night. Morton is followed by a support team in a caravan; they usually join him for breakfast after sunrise, before the cyclist sets off again (on his biggest day, the cyclist covered almost 600km).

“When I’m done, I try to relax, hang out with the crew for an hour, maybe have a beer,” he says. “And then I go to bed, and do it all over again the next morning.

“The morning comes quickly,” Morton admits. “It’s a lot of stairs, mate.”

Morton is raising money for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (backers have already given more than $30,000). He says he chose the charity after planning the route and appreciating the challenges of traveling through such remote areas. “It felt fitting to partner with an organization that helps children deal with those unique challenges,” he says. “Everyone deserves access to a quality education — and books are the foundation of that.”

If he keeps up his current pace, Morton should have no trouble breaking the record. But he’s likely to face more challenges and much of the route’s 44,000 metres of elevation gain in the coming weeks. Perhaps epitomising the quintessentially Australian nature of Morton’s odyssey, he had a run-in with some local wildlife near Mt Isa.

“I hit a kangaroo all the way,” he chuckles. “I was on top of him before I knew it. I definitely felt like I was going to have a big crash. But he was OK, and I was OK.”

While he rides, Morton sometimes listens to music or podcasts. But he says he spends most of his time taking in the scenery. “It’s an incredible way to really get a feel for the land,” Morton says. “You’re traveling over it with your own power. You feel every hill, you feel the sun beating down, you notice the wind. You don’t get all that stuff when you travel other ways.”