'Backwards Will' Walker: RAGBRAI rider turns heads by riding his bike backwards

MILO — An Iowa State trooper guarding an intersection west of Milo raised his right eyebrow when Will Walker waved at him as his back was to the hill he was about to descend.

But for Walker, known as "Backwards Will," it was just another day in the saddle.

Walker, an Anchorage, Alaska, resident who rode his first edition of the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa last year, rides, well backwards on a special BMX bike with 11 gears.

Walker rides the route west to east, just like everyone else. His bike has a normal set of handlebars, but a stretched frame.

But while riding he turns his torso and faces backwards while going downhill at up to 40 mph.

Walker is a riding Instagram reel. As people pass him they take out their phones and hoot at one of the newest RAGBRAI celebrities. Like other riders, Walker has to watch for cracks in the road and other riders at breakneck speeds. But as Walker approaches, the seas depart for him.

“The people don’t bother me because nobody gets next to me,” Walker said.

More: Central Iowa teen sells bananas to raise money for children's cancer charity on RAGBRAI

Like most quirky RAGBRAI things, Walker's skill started with a love of cycling.

"As a kid I rode BMX like my whole childhood," Walker said. "I started riding backwards as a joke around town. I started getting good at it."

But it changed his body.

"It works a whole different leg muscle. My kneecap pushed to the right because I'm building so hot right here," said Walker as he pointed at the area just above his knee.

Walker had a glass of lemonade midway up a hill about 4 miles west of Milo. As he got back on a rider said "I've never heard someone say 'rider on' backward!"

But in the midst of his second RAGBRAI he felt right at home in Iowa.

"Iowa made it to my top favorite states just because the people are so nice," Walker said. "I've been all over the country, all over Canada and I've never experienced the Iowa nice."

Philip Joens is riding his 19th RAGBRAI. He has completed the river-to-river trek seven times. He covers retail and real estate for the Des Moines Register and can be reached at 515-284-8184 at pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 'Backwards Will' Walker: RAGBRAI rider turns heads by riding his bike backwards