CNN  —  “It feels like a lifetime I’ve been out here,” says Lachlan Morton, his body fatigued to the extreme from hour upon hour of pedaling on Australian tarmac, following roads that stretch as far as the eye can see. In reality, it’s been about a month since Morton set off from his hometown of Port Macquarie, aiming to complete a full lap – just over 8,800 miles or 14,200 kilometers – of his vast country in record time. But you can forgive him for thinking that it’s been longer. During his