Standing under bunting featuring yellow, green and polka-dot jerseys, and with a large sign a few metres ahead of me celebrating the arrival of the Tour de France in Saint-Gaudens in just four days, I am getting impatient. Not for the Tour’s arrival, but for Lachlan Morton. I’ve been trying to catch him the previous three days, but he is so fast, so intent on making it to Paris ahead of the actual Tour, I keep missing him.
Looking at my watch, I tell myself yet again that, yes, this definitely is the roundabout I’d been told he’d pass. He then appears, wheels screaming, tightening his sandals (more on this to come), and then bombing down a hill. I hurry after him, coming to an abrupt stop within seconds when he hits the brakes, correcting a wrong turn. The smell of hastily hand-washed Lycra and a man far removed from the luxury of modern-day life wafts back to hit me.
The Tour is in town: not the race itself, but a longer and wackier version of it.
Old school touring
It is day 14 of Morton’s unorthodox tour around France, coined the Alt Tour. The EF Education-Nippo rider wants to emulate the essence of the first-ever Tour, in 1903, that required competitors to ride hundreds of kilometres each day and from dusk to dawn. He is covering each of the race’s stages and all the transfers in between. When I finally catch Morton, he is approaching the 4,000km mark. He would eventually reach Paris after 5,509km in 17 days, a whopping 225 hours of riding time. In the process, he hopes to raise money for World Bicycle Relief (see box).
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 05, 2021-Ausgabe von CYCLING WEEKLY.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 05, 2021-Ausgabe von CYCLING WEEKLY.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
"We tore around the Sydney suburbs at 60kph in a terrifying, feral pack"
Fast, furious and furry tales from Australia
RIDDEN AND REVIEWED BROMPTON G LINE £2,499
A Brompton for running riot in both town and country
How do different gravel conditions impact your tyre choice?
There are a myriad of tyres on the market but selecting the right one is easier than you think
FEAST OF SWEDEN
Soon after landing in Gothenburg, I began to realise how little I knew about Sweden.
THE WORLD'S GREATEST GRAVEL EVENTS
Globe-trotting gravel racer Joe Laverick chooses his eight favourite events, from coastal Wales to the wilds of Kenya
THE CALL OF THE WILD
Tempted to embark on a long-distance bike adventure? Let former round-the-world record holder and author Julian Sayarer inspire you to strike out and hit the road
Saint Piran accused of using non-UCI legal bikes
Cornish team also alleged to owe former staff tens of thousands of pounds
JOE LAVERICK GETTING INTO THE FEED ZONE
I've ridden through hundreds of feed zones in my time racing a bike.
Lowden not ready to stop after retirement
Former Hour record holder eyes UK time trial scene
Pogačar makes history (again) at Lombardia
Slovenian makes it four in a row at the late-season Italian Monument