Axel Merckx: "You’d have to combine van der Poel, Pogacar, Cavendish, and Evenepoel to surpass my dad"

As a team manager for young riders, Merckx has seen how the sport has changed. “As a U23 rider, I still trained the way my father did,” he tells Het Nieuwsblad. "When I started this job, we used to call the boys myself, or their parents, but now there's a manager in between. I don't think it's such a good development, but nowadays U23 teams turn up at races with a million-euro bus. Those boys are really spoiled. Will they still have enough drive to get to the top? They live like professional riders before they sign a pro contract."

That can cause major problems, more mentally than physically. "18-year-olds are still children. Not everyone can cope with that special racing life, physically or mentally. I see a lot of guys crashing and burning. Either they quit, or they end up depressed, or it takes them a long time to reach their level. The problem is that many U23 riders compare themselves to Evenepoel, but Remco is one of a kind."

One name is mentioned. Evenepoel joined Soudal Quick-Step at the age of 19, but Merckx, now 53, almost got him on his team. 'I welcomed Remco into my home, and we had an agreement that he would join our team, but he developed so quickly that the big teams jumped in. Of course, we would have loved to have him ride for our team for a year, and at the time it hurt, but in hindsight, Remco's choice was the right one."

A lot is expected of Evenepoel, but he is currently unable to compete with the phenomenon that is Pogacar, who is approaching the level of Merckx senior. "People have been trying to find someone like him for a long time. Until now, it was useless, but Pogacar is as strong as my father in his best years. But can he repeat that year after year, like my father did? And will he ever break the hour record, like my father did? Maybe Tadej will win the Tour more than five times, but will he also win Milan-Sanremo seven times and Liège-Bastogne-Liège five times, like my father did? I doubt it." Pogacar himself has doubts about the duration of his career.

The Belgian, therefore, sees no one in his father's league who was world-class in every discipline. “Mathieu van der Poel as a spring rider, Tadej Pogacar as an all-rounder, Marc Cavendish as a sprinter, and Remco Evenepoel as a time trialist—four great champions—are each superior in their field, but you would have to combine them, so to speak, to surpass my dad,” Merckx concludes.