He had just graduated from the well-respected school of Trinity Racing and its development program but the 23-year-old found that opportunities were few and far between when it came to pro contract offers.

Eventually, Walker took a slot at Saint Piran - the UK domestic team that brought us Jack Rootkin-Gray - before signing a one-year deal with a development team for the rest of 2024.

A year after finding himself in a tough spot, the 23-year-old from the Isle of Man has just signed with EF Education-EasyPost. It’s been an incredible rise for the softly-spoken British rider but after such a dogged and determined start to his pro racing career, he’s raring to go in 2025.

Second in the British national time trial championships this summer, and third in the corresponding road race a few days later, Walker is a rising talent in the sport and one that will add considerable fuel to the fire inside the EF Education-EasyPost engine room.

Having already spent time with the team at a training camp at the start of the year, Walker is already well-versed in EF Pro Cycling culture. At the January camp in Mallorca, Spain, he roomed with Ben Healy and struck up an instant bond with the riders and staff on the team.

“I’m super happy to be joining EF Education-EasyPost. The training camp was a great experience, with a lot of good riding and loads of fun. I’ve got former teammates on the squad and the support that I had at the camp was top-notch. I couldn’t have asked for anything more,” Walker said.

Although Walker didn’t join the team immediately, he used the 2024 campaign to bolster his experience and develop his all-round racing skills. He raced the Volta ao Algarve in February, rubbing shoulders with WorldTour riders in his first pro-level stage race, before going on to win two stages in the Tour of Japan, a stage victory in the Sibiu Cycling Tour, and secure two podium places in the British nationals.

“At the end of last year, I didn’t have a team and then by February of this year, I was racing against some of the best riders in the world. I felt like I was being thrown into the deep end but it was a really cool experience. This year I was probably in my best form during June and July and that’s when I enjoyed my best results of the season with the Tour of Japan and then the national championships. That’s when I was offered a contract by EF Education-EasyPost. This wasn’t a hard decision because I’ve wanted to join the team for the last two years,” Walker added.

Walker’s eclectic race calendar in 2024 took him from the cobbles of Belgium to several stage races across Europe and Asia.

Next season will provide the young rider with the opportunity and space to develop into an established WorldTour pro, and while it’s too early to determine his complete skillset, there are certainly areas in which he can continue to excel and evolve.

“I can do a bit of everything but the team sees me as a rider who can perform in the spring classics, and I hope I can make the next step and do a grand tour in 2025,” he said.

“Of course, I also want to concentrate on my time trial, too. I’ve had good results this year and that’s based on only getting a TT bike at the start of this season and having it at home for about a fortnight. If I can focus on that more in the future, I can get a lot better. I want to build on my experience year-on-year and I know that the team will be patient. Knowing that I have the support of the team is a big step.”

Walker is set to move home in the off-season and build his new base alongside several teammates in either Girona or Andorra. It’s another journey for the British rider but this time it's one that will help build continuity and stability as he looks to flourish within the team.

“We’ve known about Max’s abilities for some time, having seen him develop as a U23 rider at Trinity Racing and then move to Astana’s development team this year. Many riders would have found that transition both daunting and a huge leap but Max’s results and drive have really stood out this year and impressed us,” said EF Pro Cycling founder and CEO Jonathan Vaughters.

“Obviously Max is naturally talented against the clock, and with more time in the wind tunnel and working on his all-around time trialing, he can become a real asset to the team. It’s still early in Max’s career, but the signs point to a rider who has perhaps been overlooked by some of the other teams out there. It’s a marathon, not a sprint with some of these young athletes coming through, and we firmly believe that Max has the staying power to make a difference.”

Author: Daniel Benson

Daniel Benson´s Cycling Substack brings together race analysis, transfer news exclusives, features, interviews and more from men's and women's professional cycling.