Axel Merckx (August 8 1972, Uccle, Belgium) is a professional bicycle racer.
A strong climber, Merckx turned pro in 1993, and in 1995 joined the Motorola team as a team-mate of the young Lance Armstrong.
Despite several strong years of racing, including winning the Belgian national championship in 2000, Axel is still more famous for being the son of five-time Tour de France champion Eddy Merckx than for any of his cycling exploits.
Despite being overshadowed by his father's formidable record, Axel has repeatedly vowed to make his mark by accomplishing feats Eddy never managed - including a Tour de France stage win at the top of Alpe d'Huez and a win in the Paris-Tours World Cup race - but has yet to make good on these promises.
He has a large number of fanatical fans in Belgium, and would undoubtedly engender a great deal more goodwill if he were ever to achieve either of those elusive wins.
Axel Merckx won the bronze medal in the road cycling race during the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, thus getting a result his father never accomplished. Axel married Canadian triathlete Jodi Cross in 1997, and currently resides in Monaco.
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