After some victories as a junior, including a stage, and fourth overall at the 2013 Tour de l'Abitibi, Burke's career was disrupted by a positive drug test.

[4][5] Burke returned to cycling and competed with some success on various UCI Continental teams, including a stage win at the 2018 Tour de Beauce.

To help pay for his medical bills he started to write a training guide which turned into his first book How To Become A Pro Cyclist, which Burke subsequently developed into a podcast.

He has twice won the Ötztal Cycling Marathon, [8][9] and competed in a 2024 event in the ski mountaineering World Cup in Cortina, having used the sport for winter training.

[10] In 2024, Burke gained headlines for breaking Strava "King of the Mountain" times on prominent cycling climbs including the Mortirolo, the Stelvio,[11] and L'Alpe d'Huez.