Axel Merckx is a world-renowned Belgian bicycle racing champion who retired to British Columbia, Canada, in 2007. Born in 1972 in Uccle, Belgium, Axel is the son of five-time Tour de France champion Eddy Merckx. Although proud of his father's exploits, Axel has himself enjoyed a superb racing career, including winning an Olympic Medal in 2004.
Axel began his professional cycling career in 1993 as a member of Team Motorola. Axel married Canadian triathlete Jodi Cross in 1997, and upon his retirement from bicycle racing in 2007, he moved with his family to Kelowna, British Columbia.
Winner of the 2000 Belgian National Championship, he has participated in eight Tours de France, finishing as the highest-placed Belgian rider six times. Axel's other accomplishments include winning the Belgianstage wins in the Giro d'Italia and
Dauphine Libere. He has also won the GP Sanson, the Tour de la Region Wallone, the Grand Prix de Wallonie, and the Tour de l'Ain.
Proud to be an Olympian
As a member of the Belgian Olympic Cycle Racing contingent, Axel participated at the 2004 Olympics held in Athens, Greece, where he captured a bronze medal among 75 competitors. In a race that showed numerous break away attempts, it wasn't until Paolo Bettini from Italy and Sérgio Paulinho from Portugal broke away from the group with a couple of laps remaining and opened up a comfortable gap on the final lap that an idea of the medal positions could be gained. With the peloton giving up the chase of the leaders, Axel Merckx from Belgium broke away to open up a sufficient gap for him to take bronze. Only 8 seconds separated a third place finish from the Gold Medal winner.
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