Australian cyclist’s day began at 4.09am in Auckland, New Zealand, and ended 18-and-a-half hours later in Wellington

Throughout his career, Lachlan Morton – among the world’s pre-eminent ultra-endurance cyclists – has spent some long days on the bike. The Australian has raced the Vuelta a España and Giro d’Italia, ridden from Land’s End to John o’Groats in the United Kingdom, and last year spent a month riding 14,200km around Australia.

But no single day has compared to an effort last month, beginning at 4.09am in Auckland, New Zealand, and ending 18-and-a-half hours later in Wellington. Covering the 648km from the New Zealand’s biggest city to its capital in less than a day, the Australian cyclist made history.