Lachlan Morton's win on Unbound Gravel was about 320km long, but his next big challenge in his quest for the record for the fastest time around Australia means he will have to ride even farther every day for more than a month.

On Thursday, the EF Education Easy Post rider will set off from his hometown of Port Macquarie and ride about 400 km each day, completing the 14,200 km around Australia in about 35 days. The current cycling record was set in 2011 by Queenslander Dave Alley, who covered the 14,251 km distance in 37 days, 20 hours and 45 minutes.

Morton's challenge is supported, with family and friends following in a campervan, keeping him well fed and providing mobile rest stops as he tracks counter-clockwise around Australia.

“I've had a lot of really great experiences on the long bike ride, but it's special to be able to share them with those closest to me.

“I don't know what else to think about other than keep pushing, pushing, pushing.”

Morton will first travel north to Brisbane and Townsville, then inland through sparsely populated areas to Darwin, followed by a long, remote journey through Western Australia. [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] Perth, Bunbury, Albany, Euclah, Port Augusta, Adelaide, Geelong, Melbourne, Bairnsdale, Wollongong, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Rockhampton, Townsville and Darwin according to Guinness World Records, Geraldton.

As Morton traverses these locations in the warm spring weather of the southern hemisphere, he will also be raising funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, an organization that helps children in remote areas of Australia gain access to stories and books, especially those written in their native languages. The Foundation also raises funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

“Any cause that supports children in rural areas is super important,” says Morton. People in remote areas of Australia face many unique challenges and don't always get the support they need. It's important to me to be able to contribute something to the communities I will be running in,” Morton said. Morton's journey can be followed on the live tracking page and donations can be made on Morton's Indigenous Literacy Fund fundraising page.