Lachlan Morton's Tour Divide film is a hit at London premiere

EF Education-EasyPost adventurer and brother Angus Morton in attendance at London Picturehouse, with feature-length film produced by Thereabouts

12:31, Tuesday 12th December 2023

George Poole

Junior Writer

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Lachlan Morton has become one the sport's most popular riders through his off-road conquests in recent years

"I would say the most challenging moments on this ride were down to being hypothermic," chuckles a nonchalant Lachlan Morton in front of a sold-out crowd in west London. The Australian is in fine spirits as he answers the questions put forward by the audience following EF Education-EasyPost's first film screening in the team's long history.

Morton is the subject of the evening's entertainment at the Fulham Road Picturehouse, with the spotlight shone on his recent escapades between Canada and Mexico via the United States of America.

Back in early September, Morton completed the Great Divide mountain bike route in record-breaking time, and his brother Angus Morton was there with a committed film crew to capture it all in a new 65-minute film called 'The Divide'.

"There were a few moments within it that were tough," Angus says honestly about his experience. "Because it is a strange thing: you see a storm, you’re watching this person make a very bad decision and you know it - but you just have to watch them ride into it. You wonder, at what point do I switch from just observing this thing to stepping in?"

As Morton's older brother alludes to, the Great Divide was a feat of human achievement and, although the Australian's record-breaking time will not officially surpass the late Mike Hall's Fastest Known Time – due to the accompaniment of a film crew – Morton's effort was completely self-supported and saw him ride 4,299 kilometres in 12 days, 12 hours and 21 minutes.

EF Education-EasyPost's Matthew Beaudin (left) hosted the evening with Angus (centre) and Lachlan Morton (right)

Such was the feat of the task ahead that, for the first time since Morton joined EF, the team invited Angus Morton's filmmaking company Thereabouts to follow the journey and produce the team's first feature-length film. London was given the honour of hosting the first of three showings this week, with the film tour rolling on to Stockholm on Tuesday before concluding in Morton's adopted home of Boulder, Colorado on Friday evening.

'The last resort was going naked in a sleeping bag,' admits Morton of extraordinary adventure

The night in London ends with a foyer mingle between the Mortons and those in attendance, which is rather fitting given the personal and intimate nature of the film. Angus Morton was clear in his objective: to portray the magnitude of the journey and the deep sense of isolation for his younger brother along the way.

In a film that is "a love letter to the landscape as much as it is to the effort", what has followed is a well-paced portrayal of Lachlan Morton's hardships, with conversations few and far between, but moments of suffering laid bare to the screen.

Lachlan Morton: 'I had to try and ride myself out of those situations, and to do that I had to ride hard to keep my body warm'

"It’s funny to see and relive what were very intense personal moments," admits Morton. "There were a number of moments where if I had an out - like I had a car or something - I would have just got in, because I was genuinely afraid for my safety. But there was no real way out, the last resort was going naked in a sleeping bag and try to lie and wait for help!"

This particular answer draws a resounding cackle of laughter from the audience, a sound heard frequently throughout the showing as the audience becomes ever more astonished by the diet - or lack thereof - adopted by Morton across his ride. Pickles, milk and beer seemingly become his go-to items of choice, as GCN discovered in conversation with the team's nutritionist.

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Fuelled by this bizarre concoction of roadside treats and free hugs (you'll have to watch the film for this one), Morton nonetheless enjoyed a life-affirming experience riding from Banff to Antelope Wells, with the Grand Teton Mountains and a purple patch of form south of Steamboat Springs some of the many highlights revealed within the film.

Alongside the lows of a lightning storm that had the 31-year-old fearing for his life, to the fleeting respite of gas station hand dryers, The Divide is not without its many moments of joy, and the audience is all the more grateful to share in the experience.

At the curtain call, The Divide is met by a roar of applause and approval as the Morton brothers make their way to the front for a Q&A. The film is a triumph, or so those in attendance seem to think, both fans and fellow riders alike.

Juan Antonio Flecha and Jonathan Vaughters amongst the crowd in London

Indeed, not only were many members of the Thereabouts film crew in the audience on Monday evening, but so too were EF Education-EasyPost team boss Jonathan Vaughters, ultra-endurance veteran Josh Ibbett and former WorldTour professional, Juan Antonio Flecha.

Ibbett and Vaughters are all smiles as they mingle with Angus Morton, whilst Flecha takes five minutes to offer up his thoughts on the film to GCN.

"I absolutely loved it, I loved it," Flecha says with his trademark smile. "I think it’s been great to watch it in a cinema because the images are great, the story, the narrative, the sound, the change of pace, the landscapes are beautiful. They have done a great job, it has really inspired me. I flew in from Barcelona just to watch this! I saw it on EF’s social media and said ‘I’ve got to come!’

Juan Antonio Flecha was particularly fond of Angus Morton's use of an anamorphic lens: 'The contrasts between dark clouds, blue skies, the stone of the mountains and the grass, it is a film that I am definitely going to watch again and again just to enjoy it in a different way'

"It is fascinating and nice for cycling to have someone like Lachlan who enjoys his own path and whilst he is still fit enough to race WorldTour, his context is another one - it is fantastic. I would really encourage people to try these sorts of events," continues one of Spain's greatest ever Classics riders.

Flecha exclusively revealed to GCN that he would be racing Transiberica around the Iberian Peninsula in 2024. We dare say that the Spaniard won't be the only rider signing up for an ultra-endurance event next year after having watched The Divide - a glorious homage to the joys of pushing the pedals.