Dreams come true for Max Walker with a chance to race with Mark Cavendish at Astana

Two weeks ago, Max Walker woke up and immediately did what we all do: he checked his phone. For most of us, that involves minutes or perhaps hours of doom-scrolling through social media but not for Walker, who sleepy-eyed read a message from his agent Andrew McQuaid that simply said: “You need to get yourself to Astana’s training camp.” For an aspiring pro, there aren’t many better ways to start the day.

For the 22-year-old rider, it was a dream come true. After all, Walker had started the year on the small but well-respected Saint Piran team in the UK. He was set to race on a domestic level for the entire calendar year, but when Astana Qazaqstan come calling and there’s an endorsement from Mark Cavendish, then you pack your bags immediately and head to the airport.

“I just woke up and had a message that just said ‘get yourself to camp’. I went, I did some tests, they liked what they saw and I joined the team from there,” Walker told GCN at the Volta ao Algarve.

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A place on the team’s development team was offered, and with that a year of rubbing shoulders with the best riders in the world through a blend of development and pro-level races. And talk about jumping in at the deep end.

The Volta ao Algarve is unquestionably the toughest stage race of the young rider’s life outside of the UK, but he’s settled into his role with genuine ease and a sense of class. On stage 2, for example, he spent 196km in the break before being reeled in just before the final climb of the race. Not only that but he supported the Astana GC challenge when called upon.

“I only signed with the team about two weeks before this race, and it’s been a bit last minute but I’m really enjoying my time here. I thought that I’d have to do another year and then try and move up after that. It’s just been so good, the last few weeks.”

At the start of stage 3 Walker rested his Wilier bike by the hoardings before sign-on. The frame didn’t even have an official ‘Walker’ sticker on the top tube, such is his infancy within the ranks, but the Isle of Man resident clearly isn’t fazed by any tiny detail like that. He’s living his dream after all.

“It’s been really cool. I wanted to step up a level and my results last year were good but I had a few injuries. It’s really exciting just to be involved in the team and everyone has been great so far,” he said.

What’s certainly helped Walker has been the endorsement from Cavendish. He’s the leader at Astana, and while he doesn’t boss recruitment, when he starts introducing a young rider at camp the rest of the Astana riders listen.

“It was a bit scary at camp but I live in the same place as Cavendish, so he was really welcoming to me and introduced me to everyone,” Walker told GCN.

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“That was great because I was a bit nervous about not knowing anyone and being outside of it all. He helped and made it much easier to get to know everyone. I live ten minutes down the road from him on the Isle of Man so whenever he’s back I get to ride with him. He put in a few good words for me, so he definitely helped. It’s been great. The support has been great, the staff are just amazing. The bikes are so good, and I just couldn’t be any happier.”

With two stages remaining in Algarve, the young British rider will remain focused on supporting his teammates as best he can. Stage 4 is an individual test against the clock and he would like to give it everything over the 22km course.

“Here I’m meant to help the GC guys as much as possible. Then I’d like to test myself as much as possible in the time trial, and see how I can compare against the best. I think that I’ll be a bit off but I’d like to have a reference on where I need to get to. I’d like to get in more breaks, and get the team out there too.”

Whatever the outcome, Walker has certainly seized his chance with both hands.

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