William Walker (born 31 October 1985 in Subiaco, Western Australia) is a retired Australian professional road racing cyclist and Australian Champion who rode for the Dutch team between 2005 and 2008 and Spanish team in 2009. Walker was described as having a motor on par with Lance Armstrong, with a reported recorded VO2 max 94. Walker was also heralded as Australia's next Cadel Evans.
Walker finished second to Dmytro Grabovskyy in the Under 23 World Road Championship in Madrid in 2005. In 2006 he famously crossed the line first in the 2006 Australian Road championships and was awarded the gold medal in both the Elite and Under 23 categories, being the first Under 23 rider in history to race in the Australian champion jersey.
Walker represented Australia in the 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008 World Road Championships as well as the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. He also raced for Rabobank in the 2006 Vuelta España and the 2007 Giro d'Italia.
Walker did not ride for Fuji-Servetto in 2010 due to health issues. He returned to racing in 2012, making a successful return winning the 2012 Tour of Gippsland for Drapac Pro Cycling. Walker moved to the Azerbaijan-based Synergy Baku Cycling Project for the 2014 season. Walker was riding in the Australian National Road Race Championships in January 2014 when he suffered from sustained ventricular tachycardia and he retired from the race and from professional cycling.
Major results
2003 1st Stage 4 Bay Classic Series 1st Overall Giro di Basilicata 1st Stage 1 5th Time trial, UCI Junior World Road Championships 2004 1st Overall Tattersalls Cup 1st Road race, Victorian Road Championships 1st Overall Tour of Sunraysia 1st Melbourne–Warrnambool 1st Stage 13 Herald Sun Tour National Under-23 Road Championships 2nd Road race 3rd Time trial 10th Overall Thüringen Rundfahrt der U23 2005 1st Stage 2 Circuito Montañés 2nd Road race, UCI Under-23 World Road Championships 2nd Road race, National Under-23 Road Championships 2nd Overall UCI Oceania Tour 5th Overall Thüringen Rundfahrt der U23 7th Overall Tour de l'Avenir 2006 1st Road race, National Road Championships 1st Road race, National Under-23 Road Championships 1st Young rider Classification Tour Down Under 2nd Overall Thüringen Rundfahrt der U23 4th Overall Tour Down Under 4th Overall Volta ao Distrito de Santarem 2007 Sachsen Tour 1st Mountains classification 1st Points classification 2008 10th Overall Herald Sun Tour 2009 1st Stage 3 Geelong Bay Classic Series 2012 1st Overall Tour of Gippsland 1st Stage 6 Tour of Tasmania 2013 1st Victorian Road Championship 1st Stage 1 Tour of Toowoomba 2nd Overall Tour of Thailand 3rd Overall New Zealand Cycle Classic 4th Tour de Okinawa 5th Overall Tour of Hainan
References
External links
Team website