Axel Merckx, now a seasoned sports director overseeing one of the top U23 teams, offers a candid reflection on cycling’s current landscape. He recognizes the rare brilliance of today’s top riders—Tadej Pogačar’s prodigious versatility, Mathieu van der Poel’s mastery of spring classics, Mark Cavendish’s sprinting dominance, and Remco Evenepoel’s time-trialing genius—but remains adamant that no single figure matches the complete greatness of his father, Eddy Merckx.
“You’d have to combine van der Poel, Pogacar, Cavendish, and Evenepoel to surpass my dad,” Axel says, highlighting how each of today’s champions excels in a specific specialty, yet none possesses his father’s unmatched, across-the-board excellence. Pogačar might mirror Eddy at his physical peak and could even surpass one-day classics and Grand Tour titles, Axel muses, but could he also repeat legendary feats like the Hour Record or multiple Monument victories? That’s where the modern giants fall short.
In describing the evolution of cycling development, Axel also reflects on how different Benjamin’s era compared. As a U23 mentor, he sees young riders now traveling in style—complete with managers and fancy support trucks—yet worries this ease may erode the hunger that propelled the past’s legends. Yet even with all modern conveniences, replacing the complete package of legacy and versatility embodied by Eddy Merckx remains—according to Axel—virtually impossible.
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