https://www.bikeradar.com/news/lachlan-morton-completes-alt-tour/ Accessibility Links * Skip to Main Content * Skip to Main Navigation * Skip to Footer [cropped-Wh] Road MTB Women Beginners Magazine Offers Bike Insurance Sign In Register Sign In Register Settings Sign out My account [cropped-Wh] [cropped-Wh] [ ] Search Best Products Reviews Reviews View all Reviews Bikes Components Clothing Shoes Helmets Maintenance Accessories Training Long-term reviews News Features Features View all Features BikeRadar Podcast Bike of the Week First Look Friday Opinion Long Reads Routes and Rides Pro Bikes BikeRadar Bargains Advice Advice View all Advice Fitness & Training Nutrition Skills Workshop Sizing & Fit Buyer's Guides Forum Magazines Magazines View all Magazines Tour de France Guide Mountain Biking UK Cycling Plus Tour de France Road MTB Women Beginners Magazine Offers Bike Insurance 1. Home 2. News 3. Lachlan Morton completes 5,510km Alt Tour, beating peloton to Paris by five days Lachlan Morton completes 5,510km Alt Tour, beating peloton to Paris by five days Morton finished the Alt Tour in the early hours of the morning * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share on Pinterest * Share on Whatsapp * Share on Reddit * Email to a friend This competition is now closed By Stan Portus Published: July 13, 2021 at 11:00 am Lachlan Morton has just completed his Alt Tour, beating the Tour de France peloton to Paris by five days. Advertisement Morton set out on the first day of the Tour de France with the aim to ride the entirety of the route unsupported, including transfers. This meant riding 5,510km and 65,000m of elevation - an extra 2,400km and 15,000m ascent over the peloton - all while sleeping outside and sourcing his own food and drink. (We've got a separate feature on Morton's Cannondale SuperSix EVO bikepacking setup). KM 5,510 - Lachy's done it! 18 days. 5,510-kilometers. 65,500-meters of elevation gain. 220-hours of riding. This morning at 05:30am, he finished up his Alt Tour in Paris, riding the laps of the Champs-Elysees in the dawn this morning. @josselin_riou pic.twitter.com/oFsjCKCNzF -- EF Pro Cycling (@EFprocycling) July 13, 2021 Morton finished the route - including laps of the Champs-Elysees - at 05:30 this morning, having ridden for 220 hours, which is 18 hours ahead of what he set out to do and with an average of just over 300km per day. When the EF-Education Nippo rider left Brittany, he quickly built up an advantage over the peloton, sometimes getting as little as four hours sleep. Five days in and Morton was 420km ahead of the peloton and was even ahead of the person responsible for putting up the signage for the Tour. Footwear of the pros? Rapha It hadn't been without difficulties, though. Morton had been plagued with punctures, and knee pain led to him swapping out his cycling shoes for a pair of sandals, which stayed with him for much of the trip going through various alterations including cutting off one of the straps and adding carbon insoles, donated by a dot watcher. When BikeRadar spoke to Morton midway through the Alt Tour as part of our Tour de France podcast series, he had climbed the Alps and the double pass of Mont Ventoux, explaining how he had subsisted on cider, melon and prosciutto. After the Alps, he still had to tackle the Pyrennes. He had a healthy buffer over the peloton, but he was still riding around 12 hours a day - a necessity to get back up to the north of France and complete the 700km of transfer from the end of Stage 20 and the final stage of the Tour coming into Paris. Out of the mountains, Morton remarked that it was practically downhill to Paris, but he was confronted with a virtually never-ending headwind and the ride became as much a mental battle as a physical one. The ride wasn't without its difficulties. Morton had many punctures as well as issues with his Di2 groupset. Rapha On Sunday 11 June, Morton arrived at the campsite he was staying at to a surprise visit from his dad, David Morton, who had flown out to meet his son, and after the emotion of the ride there was said to not be a dry eye in sight. Morton set out from Pau for the final leg of the Alt Tour at 10am CEST yesterday morning. This was the longest stage of the route at 579km and helped Morton achieve his goal of doing a day that was as far as the longest ever Tour de France stage - a whopping 428km, which was part of the 1919 edition of the race. Morton set out with the intention of riding through the night, which he did coming into Paris in the early hours of the morning. Beyond being an epic ride, the Alt Tour was raising funds for World Bicycle Relief, a non-profit organisation that provides bicycles to people in need. Advertisement Rapha and EF-Education Nippo both donated 500 bicycles to the charity, but over the course of the ride, the Alt Tour also raised a staggering PS356,477 for the organisation, which will go to help 3,000 people. * Share on Facebook * Share on Twitter * Share on Pinterest * Share on Whatsapp * Share on Reddit * Email to a friend Authors Stan Portus Digital Writer BikeRadar Stan Portus Digital Writer Stan Portus is a writer who has been riding bikes for as long as he can remember. A road cyclist at heart, he can be found zooming along the lanes and roads of the South West, as well as undertaking foolhardy pursuits such as overnight audax rides. Stan started working in the bike industry two years ago, writing about some of the most desired tech and sought-after cycling apparel there is. He now covers the latest news and best cycling products for BikeRadar. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. Tags * Road Cycling * Tour de France Daily Deals TDF21_BikeRadarNL_700x500_WithoutCTA Order your copy of the only Official Tour de France 2021 race guide today! ORDER NOW Latest How to repair a punctured tubeless tyre Partnered with Muc-Off Specialized's new Recon Lace will leave everyone asking 'what shoes are those', apparently First ride review Pace RC529 GX Ultimate GBP PS3319.00 RRP GF-article-Widget-Rail-Thumb (1) Exclusive offer from BikeRadar: Save PS100 on the Silver De'Longhi "Perfecta Evo ESAM coffee machine Get offer You may also like News BikeRadar Meets podcast | We chat to Lachlan Morton, more than 3,000km into the Alt Tour Features Our 8 favourite Tour de France bikes | The coolest Tour bikes, according to BikeRadar News Tour de France Podcast Episode 5 - new and custom tech roundup Features Tour de France 2021 mid-race tech round-up | Unbranded wheels, fast time-trial equipment, custom paint jobs and more Want updates when there's BikeRadar news? Sign up to receive our newsletter! Thanks! You've been subscribed to our newsletter. Already have an account with us? Sign in to manage your newsletter preferences Sign in Register [ ] Sign me up! By entering your details, you are agreeing to BikeRadar terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. Spring21_Footer_180x180_MBUK Mountain Biking UK Magazine Don't miss out on MBUK - try 6 issues for just PS9.99 SUBSCRIBE NOW Spring21_Footer_180x180_CyclingPlus Cycling Plus Magazine Try 6 issues of the UK's number one cycling magazine for just PS9.99 SUBSCRIBE NOW Site footer [cropped-Wh] * Visit us on Facebook * Visit us on Twitter * Visit us on YouTube * Visit us on Instagram * Subscribe to our RSS feed * About Us * Contact Us * Brands * Cookies * Privacy * Terms & Conditions * Licensing * Subscribe to our magazines * Manage cookies Immediate Media This website is owned and published by Immediate Media Company Limited. www.immediatemedia.co.uk (c) Immediate Media Company Ltd 2021. Partner logo