Former Australian champion, Will Walker, 26, will return to racing this season after almost three years off the bike due to illness.

In 2005 Walker claimed the silver medal in under 23 road race at the world championships and in 2006 won the elite men's road race at the nationals and was best young rider at the Tour Down Under.

He sigend with the Dutch Rabobank team and embarked on a promising pro career until it was cut short by congenital heart disease. But doctors have now given Walker the green light to resume racing and he says he is delighted to be back on the bike.

“It’s been a tough few years on the sidelines and getting the all clear to get back on the bike was like winning the lottery,” Walker said, who has signed with Drapac Professional Cycling for two years. “My ambitions are pretty simple. I want to take my time regaining my fitness, take each race as it comes and taste that feeling of being in the thick of the action again.”

Drapac sporting director, Agostino Giramondo, doesn’t want to rush Walker and says his long-term health is the number one priority.

“We want to provide the support that allows Will to make a healthy and sustainable return to the sport,” Giramondo said. “Will has been set a very thorough medical program to monitor his progress, which includes providing the team with a fortnightly report on his progress.

“The team is committed to helping Will reach his full potential once again on the bike but his health and general well being will always be a priority.

“We would class a healthy return to cycling a success and if he were able to achieve results on the road this would be an added bonus.”

Giramondo also said he believes Walker, who rode the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana throughout his four seasons in the professional ranks, will make a significant contribution to the team by simply sharing his knowledge with the squad’s younger riders and acting as a mentor.

Walker has been working with the GreenEDGE cycling team since the middle of 2011 and says that he’s grateful for the opportunity Shayne Bannan and Gerry Ryan gave him.

“It was a privilege being a small part of GreenEDGE as it was getting off the ground and the team is sure to be a big success,” Walker said. “But not being part of the action on the bike was hard. I’m still young and, having briefly had my riding career taken away from me, I want to race while I can.”

To allow Walker to build his fitness steadily, his race program for 2012 will be predominately in Australia doing some of the national road series events.