The biking begins this morning, when Lachlan Morton rolls out from Banff, destination Antelope Wells, New Mexico, on the Tour Divide. For the past few days, Lachlan has been packing for the expedition.

Hundreds of miles from nowhere in the mountains of the North American West, he will have to rely on his own wits and strength and the stuff he has with him. Lachlan has strapped everything he will need and nothing more to his Cannondale Scalpel HT Hi-MOD Ultimate, which he has tuned with FSA handlebar extensions so he can ride in aero position and take weight off of his hands.

After months of testing in long-distance competitions such as the Evolution Gravel Race in Tanzania, the Migration Gravel Race in Kenya, and the Leadville 100 back home in Colorado, Lachlan is confident that this will be the right machine for the trip. It’s the bike he is most comfortable riding. Prologo’s Scratch saddle is the saddle that he trusts. Lachlan will be out there from sunrise to sunset every day for two or more weeks. With 29-inch FSA carbon wheels and Vittoria Mezcal 2.35 xc-trail tires, his bike is also a very fast one. He is running a 38-tooth chainring and 10-52 cassette.

Lachlan wants to push the pace to see how fast he can complete the Tour Divide, while making sure he gets enough rest at night, so it doesn’t become an exercise in sleep deprivation. That means he needs camping gear that is as light as possible. Out in the bush, function still comes first. There is no point carrying lightweight kit that doesn’t work. For cold nights under the stars up in the alpine, Lachlan won’t make any compromises. He’s got his bivy sack, a well-insulated sleeping bag, and a mat to keep him off the frozen ground. He’ll stuff his clothes in a dry bag to use as a pillow.

For meals, he has got a spork and one good knife. Toiletries are a toothbrush, toothpaste, sunscreen, a pack of wet wipes, and Bend36 chamois cream.

Out on the trail, Lachlan will have to rely on himself if he suffers a mechanical, so he’s got a multi-tool, pump, CO2 cartridges, tire patches, spoke tool, spare derailleur hanger, three quick links and four links of chain. He’ll keep his machine running smoothly with Muc-Off Dry Lube. He’ll run foam inserts in his tires and has lights he can plug into powerbanks for early morning starts and those evenings when he wants to keep riding after the sun has dropped behind the peaks.

On a trip like this, Lachlan needs to be ready for all conditions. He’ll swap between two pairs of Rapha shorts, washing the worn pair each day so they don’t get grungy. Same goes for socks. Putting on a clean pair of socks every morning is just nice. One Rapha aero jersey is all Lachlan needs. He’ll adjust to falling temperatures with a merino base-layer, Rapha Explore down jacket, and a raincoat for when it gets wet. He also has a down bib that Rapha made a few years ago that he likes to stuff down his shirt for extra insulation. For truly foul weather, he has his Rapha Pro Team insulated Gore-Tex rain jacket. He hopes he never has to use it, but will be very glad to have it if a wintry storm blows in when he is high in the mountains. On his head, he's got his POC Ventral Lite, which is his favorite helmet for bike touring.

Lachlan will wear a hydration pack when he is riding. Everything else will be stuffed into the lightweight Tailfin bags and panniers he has mounted to his bike, except his phone, which goes in his back pocket. His phone is vital. It will be his DJ. And it will be his means to share his adventure with you, as he navigates towards Antelope Wells with his Wahoo Elemnt Bolt.

Check out the full specs of Lachlan Morton's Cannondale Scalpel HT Hi-MOD Ultimate and the gear he is bringing on the Tour Divide.