Will Walker: Why Australia’s Next Cadel Evans Retired From Cycling

A man with a Vo2 Max on par with the likes of the world’s best cyclists,

and touted as Australia’s next Cadel Evans, why did Will Walker retire from the sport so early?

With an incredible start to his professional cycling career, and results as a 18-23 year old that looked like he was going to become one of the world’s best cyclists, Will Walker abruptly retired from the sport of cycling with a heart condition.

[Excerpt taken from Cycling Tips]: By the time Will Walker was 21 he’d already won the U23 men’s road race at the Australian nationals (ahead of the elite men, no less), he’d won silver in the U23 men’s world championship road race (at 19) and he’d ridden two Grand Tours with Rabobank. But the heavy workload had taken its toll.

At 21 Will had developed mononucleosis and Bell’s Palsy and had also been diagnosed with a cardiac arrhythmia known as tachycardia — a condition in which the heart beats far faster than it normally should, all while pumping less blood around the body.

The condition saw Will retire from the sport in early 2009 but in early 2012 he made a return, riding with the then-Continental Drapac squad back in Australia and winning a handful of races. 

The Nationals road race in 2014 was Will’s first in the Baku colours and, keen to make an early impression, he made his way into the early break of 17 riders that built a sizable lead over the main field. It was in this breakaway that Will started to feel the tell-tale signs of tachycardia…

And we’ll let Will tell the story from here.

Some key points of the episode:

• What happened in the race that force Will into immediate retirement
• How having a healthy body saved his life
• How he survived after his heart rate hit 270bpm…
• Is it true that he has a VO2 max of 94?
• Are young athletes being pushed too hard?
• The best advice Will received from one of the world’s greatest cycling coaches
• 3 lessons masters athletes can take from this story
• What would happen if you could never race again…
• How to find another purpose in life other than sport

 

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