Cecil Walker was born in the Sydney suburb of Marrickville around the turn of the 20th century. The son of a greengrocer, he got his start in cycling by delivering goods to local customers on his bike, and before too long had joined the local cycling club. He had an inauspicious start to track racing, as he ended his first race in a heap on the ground, crashing on the very first corner. Cecil, in his wisdom, hadn’t realized that his tires needed to be glued on.