Take9 hours ago
One rider, 3,217 km, 19:45 faster than the 1861 relay
Lachlan Morton set a new Pony Express record, riding 3,217 km from Missouri to California in 6 days, 21 hours and 15 minutes. The 1861 time of 7 days and 17 hours was set by a relay of riders changing horses every 10–15 miles. Morton had no relay: one rider covered the whole distance, finishing 19 hours and 45 minutes ahead of the 1861 pace.
What this means
The ride was the swansong project of Morton's time with EF Education-EasyPost, and he had not lined up for a road race since 2022. Morton's own line on what comes next: «Still a lot I want to do».
Morton set out from St. Joseph, Missouri, on Monday, October 5, 2026, and crossed Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and California. EF Education-EasyPost provided support for bike swaps and reloading nutrition, and Morton used three bikes: a Cannondale TopStone, a Cannondale SuperSix and a Scalpel. Wyoming headwinds and Sierra Nevada cold were part of the same ride. The 1861 riders handed over to fresh horses and fresh riders every 10–15 miles. Morton swapped bikes and carried on himself. He finished in Sacramento at 11:19 p.m. local time on Sunday. His own summary at the line: «I had an amazing time. I wasn't desperate for it to end, which was odd.»
Sources
'Still a lot I want to do,' says Lachlan Morton, who sets Pony Express FKT on EF swansongLachlan Morton eclipses 160-year-old Pony Express record by 19 hoursLachlan Morton's Pony Express | EF Pro Cycling'The scale of it blows me away' - Lachlan Morton eclipses 160-year-old Pony Express record by more than 19 hours in adventure across eight US states
Analysed 4 sources, written and summarised with AI · How we work