{"id":517256,"date":"2026-03-06T03:03:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T03:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/517256\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T03:03:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T03:03:08","slug":"axel-merckx-between-the-ages-of-18-and-22-a-cyclists-career-is-decided","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/517256\/","title":{"rendered":"Axel Merckx – “Between the ages of 18 and 22, a cyclist\u2019s career is decided”"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nAfter retiring as a rider, he chose to dedicate himself to developing young talent, a path that led him to discover and mentor cyclists who later became leading figures in world cycling such as Jo\u00e3o Almeida<\/a>, Jasper Philipsen<\/a>, Tao Geoghegan Hart<\/a>, among many others.Training camp in Italy is like being with family<\/p>\n

Today, his under-23 team is considered one of the most effective structures for developing young riders. More than immediate results, Merckx believes the real work lies in the overall development of the athlete.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, the sporting side is very important, but the human side is even more important,\u201d he explained to Cyclingpro.net<\/a>. \u201cBetween the ages of 18 and 22 there is a decisive moment in a cyclist\u2019s career. That\u2019s when he decides whether he truly wants to become a professional cyclist and whether he is ready for the lifestyle it requires.\u201d<\/p>\n

That philosophy also explains the choice of Italy for the team\u2019s preparation camp. The former rider knows the country well, as it was also a training base during his professional career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI came here many times as a cyclist and I always felt good,\u201d he recalls. \u201cWhen we started the under-23 team, we returned to Europe and decided to hold training camps here again. There\u2019s a very family-like atmosphere, the roads are excellent, and we usually have good weather conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Merckx also adds that the region\u2019s moderate climate offers a strategic advantage at the start of the season.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the beginning of the year it\u2019s actually positive that it isn\u2019t too hot. Later, when the riders return north for the Classics, where it\u2019s colder, the change in temperature isn\u2019t as drastic. And besides that, you eat well here, you sleep well, and you train well.\u201d<\/p>\n

The level has risen significantly<\/p>\n

Over more than fifteen years working with young riders, the Belgian has witnessed a significant transformation in the way athletes arrive in the professional peloton. According to Merckx, that evolution begins in the junior ranks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the last five years, the junior category has practically reached the level the under-23 category had ten years ago,\u201d he explains. \u201cYoung riders arrive far more prepared, more structured, and with a very strong physical base already in place.\u201d<\/p>\n

That development is also reflected in the structure of development teams. When he launched the project, the reality was very different from what it is today.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we started there were no nutritionists, cooks or dedicated coaches. There was the sports director, a soigneur, a mechanic and the riders,\u201d he recalls. \u201cToday there is a whole team working around performance and athlete development.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite this increasing professionalisation, Merckx tries to maintain a balance between science and humanity within the team.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe approach has become much more scientific, that\u2019s inevitable,\u201d he acknowledges. \u201cBut we always try to preserve a human atmosphere within the team. At the end of the day we are working with people, not just with numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The partnership with Team Jayco AlUla, established to strengthen the connection between the under-23 team and the WorldTour, has also helped raise the level of the structure.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight from the beginning we gained access to a nutritionist and strengthened partnerships with sponsors such as Giant,\u201d he explains. \u201cIn addition, Jayco helps us with travel to races and additional training camps, including altitude camps whenever possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Merckx, this collaboration has been beneficial for both sides, especially because his team already had extensive experience in developing young riders.<\/p>\n

\u201cNowadays almost every WorldTour team needs an associated under-23 team. It\u2019s not easy to start from scratch. For Jayco it was positive to find a structure with experience, and for us it was also an opportunity to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

The secrets? Eat, sleep and train<\/p>\n

Despite all the technological and scientific changes in modern cycling, the Belgian insists that the foundation of the sport remains almost the same as in his father\u2019s era.<\/p>\n

\u201cCycling has changed a lot and become much more scientific,\u201d he admits. \u201cBut the basics are still the same: sleep well, eat well and train well.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Merckx, these three elements remain the cornerstone of success in professional cycling.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you do those three things correctly, you already have about 90% of what it takes to be a good cyclist,\u201d he says. \u201cThen, when you move up a level, you try to find that extra one or two percent through equipment, altitude training or other details.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to managing the team, the sports director prefers to avoid a rigid hierarchy among riders.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t work with fixed leaders,\u201d he explains. \u201cWe are a team of 13 riders, and that means 13 opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Naturally, some athletes have more experience or results, but Merckx prefers to assess each race individually.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn certain races we might back one rider more, but I like to give everyone the opportunity to fight for a result when they line up at the start.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the riders in the squad are also three Italians: Riccardo Colombo, Giacomo Serangeli and Mattia Sambinello.<\/p>\n

\u201cMattia was already with us last year and he improved a lot,\u201d Merckx explains. \u201cIn his first year he suffered a crash, but afterwards he became much faster.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the two new Italian riders, the team manager prefers to adopt a cautious approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cRiccardo and Giacomo were very strong as juniors and have a lot of potential,\u201d he says. \u201cNow they need time to adapt to the under-23 category. The talent is there, but they need to work and we\u2019ll see how they develop race after race.\u201d<\/p>\n

Next G is the target<\/p>\n

When asked about the main goals for the season, Merckx does not hesitate to highlight one race in particular.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me and for the team, the Giro d\u2019Italia Under-23 has always been a very special race,\u201d he reveals.<\/p>\n

The team has already achieved important results in this event, including overall victory in 2022 with Leo Hayter.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year we also won a stage, so we want to fight again for a big result,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a fantastic race and we hope to be ready at the start and achieve something important for the team and for the future of our riders.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Axel Merckx, in a cycling world that is becoming ever more complex and technological, the mission remains relatively simple: help young riders become better athletes, without forgetting that success always starts with the basics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" After retiring as a rider, he chose to dedicate himself to developing young talent, a path that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":517257,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[150293,49,48,635,55552,42477,82,164632,130310],"class_list":["post-517256","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-axel-merckx","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cycling","tag-jasper-philipsen","tag-joao-almeida","tag-sports","tag-tao-geoghegan-hart","tag-team-jayco-alula"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517256","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=517256"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/517256\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/517257"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=517256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=517256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=517256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}