Axel Merckx facts for kids
Merckx in 2006
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| Personal information | |||
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| Full name | Axel Merckx | ||
| Born | 8 August 1972 Uccle, Belgium |
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| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Weight | 77 kg (170 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Hagens Berman Jayco | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role |
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| Rider type | All-rounder | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Axel Merckx, born on August 8, 1972, is a famous Belgian former professional cyclist. He is the son of Eddy Merckx, who won the Tour de France five times! Axel also became a successful rider. He won the Belgian national road race championship in 2000. He also earned a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens for road cycling. Today, he works as a team director for a professional cycling team.
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Axel Merckx's Cycling Career
Axel Merckx started his professional cycling career in 1993. He wanted to achieve things his famous father hadn't, like winning a stage at Alpe d'Huez in the Tour de France. While he didn't win that specific stage, he competed in eight Tour de France races. He was the highest-placed Belgian rider six times. His best finish in the Tour de France was tenth place in 1998.
Olympic Medal Win
One of Axel's biggest achievements was winning a bronze medal. This happened in the road race at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. He broke away from the other riders in the very last kilometer to secure his medal.
Retirement from Racing
During the 2006 Tour de France, Axel Merckx announced he would retire after the 2007 season. He signed a contract with Team T-Mobile, which was the team where he began his professional career. He helped his teammate, Floyd Landis, during the 2006 Tour. Axel officially retired from professional cycling at the end of the 2007 Tour de France. He won his very last race in Lommel, Belgium, in August 2007.
Current Role in Cycling
After retiring from racing, Axel Merckx became the owner and directeur sportif (which means sports director) of the Hagens Berman Jayco cycling team. He helps manage the team and guide the riders.
Axel Merckx's Personal Life
Axel Merckx married Canadian triathlete Jodi Cross in 1997. They lived in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. They have two daughters named Axana, born in 2001, and Athina Grace, born in 2005.
As of 2024, Axel Merckx lives in Belgium with American cyclist Chloe Dygert.
Family Title
When Axel's father, Eddy Merckx, was given the title of baron in Belgium, Axel also received a special hereditary title. This title is called Jonkheer in Dutch.
Major Cycling Results
- 1992
- 1st Stage 9 Tour de l'Avenir
- 1993
- 2nd Seraing–Aachen–Seraing
- 1994
- 9th Prueba Villafranca de Ordizia
- 1995
- 6th Overall Tour Méditerranéen
- 8th Overall Danmark Rundt
- 8th Veenendaal–Veenendaal
- 9th Grand Prix Eddy Merckx
- 1996
- 3rd Giro di Lombardia
- 4th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
- 6th Brabantse Pijl
- 7th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
- 10th Overall Tour DuPont
- 1997
- 6th Giro di Lombardia
- 9th Breitling Grand Prix (with Jörg Jaksche)
- 1998
- 2nd Overall Bayern Rundfahrt
- 1st Stage 3
- 2nd Clásica de San Sebastián
- 2nd Subida a Urkiola
- 6th Trofeo Pantalica
- 7th Gran Premio de Primavera de Amorebieta
- 7th Breitling Grand Prix (with Jörg Jaksche)
- 9th Grand Prix Eddy Merckx
- 10th Overall Tour de France
- 1999
- 3rd Road race, National Road Championships
- 4th Tour du Haut Var
- 9th Overall Tour Méditerranéen
- 2000
- 1st
Road race, National Road Championships - 1st
Overall Tour de la Région Wallonne - 1st Stage 8 Giro d'Italia
- 3rd Châteauroux Classic
- 4th Overall Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt
- 5th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
- 5th Tour du Haut Var
- 7th Overall Tour Méditerranéen
- 7th Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme
- 9th Overall Volta a Catalunya
- 10th La Flèche Wallonne
- 2001
- 1st Grand Prix de Wallonie
- 3rd Brabantse Pijl
- 5th Trofeo Laigueglia
- 7th Coppa Sabatini
- 7th Route Adélie de Vitré
- 7th EnBW Grand Prix (with Piotr Wadecki)
- 9th Road race, National Road Championships
- 2002
- 2nd Overall Vuelta a Andalucía
- 6th Road race, National Road Championships
- 6th La Flèche Wallonne
- 2003
- 1st Overall Tour de l'Ain
- 3rd Overall Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt
- 3rd Overall Hessen–Rundfahrt
- 4th Overall Tour of Belgium
- 10th Luk-Cup Bühl
- 2004
- 3rd
Road race, Olympic Games - 5th Brabantse Pijl
- 8th Grand Prix Eddy Merckx
- 2005
- 1st Stage 5 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
- 3rd Brabantse Pijl
- 4th LuK Challenge (with Marc Wauters)
Grand Tour Race Finishes
This table shows Axel Merckx's finishes in the three biggest cycling races, called Grand Tours.
| Grand Tour | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Giro d'Italia |
— | — | — | 19 | — | — | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | DNF | 50 |
| Tour de France |
— | — | — | — | 10 | DNF | — | 22 | 28 | DNF | 21 | 39 | 30 | 62 |
 Vuelta a España |
— | 21 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
See also
In Spanish: Axel Merckx para niños
