Morris readily admits that for most of his professional racing career he was simply slogging away at the back of the pack, trying to do a job for the team rather than celebrating much personal glory, kissing the podium girls or spraying the champagne.

Which is perhaps why he enjoyed the gruelling Simpson Desert Challenge in 2016 a bit more than he might otherwise.

Despite 600km of sand, heat and isolation across a barren landscape right in the middle of Australia, Morris was smiling all the way as he won every competitive stage to claim the overall trophy – although the silverware itself never leaves the iconic Birdsville Hotel which marks the end of the remarkable race. 

“I’ll be the first to say – the Simpson Desert race is not a professional race with all the best cyclists from around the world involved,” he jokes. “But being there and being the dominant rider was a good change for me! I spent 17 years as a bike racer suffering like a dog, especially when I was a professional. I’ll be honest, as a pro I was at the back most of the time and suffering just to hang in there. So to be in a situation where I was at the front of the pack and winning, it was a nice change.

“I love the sport and I love riding. It brings me a lot of joy and puts a smile on my face. Some professional cyclists end their career and then never touch a bike again in their life – but I still love it and still try to ride every day. I want to keep trying to create stories that I can talk about."

Which begs the obvious question – what is the next story to be told?

Morris explains: “I am doing The Pioneer with MarathonMTB in February. That’s a seven-day, 550km race from Christchurch to Queenstown in New Zealand. And there is also the Mongolia Bike Challenge in August which goes for seven days through pretty arid, pretty amazing geography. So I think that will be a spectacle and a great story."