AXEL MERCKX: OK guys we have the tour of California coming up.
And I think that's one of the reasons why you guys are
all part of this team.
Any race out here is a great opportunity for you
to showcase yourself.
There's a lot of pro teams around here
that can get to know you a little bit better
and just notice you.
So it might be an opportunity for you guys to move up.
This team is more than just a bike team.
This team is a family.
And you are all now are all part of the Merckx family.
And I want you guys to represent this
in an honorable way and a respected way for your peers
and for everybody out here.
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My name is Axel Merckx.
I'm the owner and general manager of the Axeon Hagens
Berman team.
I got into cycling because I just loved the sport.
I grew up with it.
The love of cycling was always around.
And I decided to take my chance when I was 15 years old.
I come from probably the biggest cycling
legacy that's ever existed.
Being the son of Eddy Merckx is a huge pressure,
especially living and growing up in Belgium.
And then deciding to do the same sport as Eddy Merckx
is quite crazy, if you think about it.
It puts a lot of pressure on somebody
to come in the footsteps of the greatest athlete in the world
really.
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Our team, it's only focused on u-23's.
We've graduated something between 18 and 20 riders
into the pro tour over the last eight, nine years.
And it's really the snowball effect,
where you have a couple of guys that are really successful.
And then all of a sudden a lot of other young riders
want to be part of the program.
Logan Owen is fast.
And he won a staging tour of Utah
last year in the field sprint.
The most important thing with him
is that he's getting better and stronger
and that he's learning from the mistakes in the past.
And I think he's a great champion in the making.
LOGAN OWEN: I want to go pro tour of course.
I want to be the best in the world.
Win all of them.
Last year, I got a little bit of a taste of that,
racing the World Tour guys.
I was able to win a stage at Utah.
That was a really big step up for me.
And it gave me a lot of confidence.
AXEL MERCKX: Tao is a huge talent.
He's an all around guy.
He can ride on cobblestones.
He can ride on the climbs.
If he has a good California, which I think he will,
by the end of the season he'll be
ready to move up to the World Tour.
TAO GEOGHEGAN HART: The big goal at the moment
is to turn professional.
And then from there, to work my way up into the biggest races.
And I think if you set the sky as the limit,
then you just gotta keep pushing and pushing.
And you never know where you can end up.
SPEAKER 1: If you win a stage in California,
you give me 10% of your salary next year.
AXEL MERCKX: Those guys have so much pressure.
I remember being their age and absolutely freaking out about,
oh my god this is my dream.
This is what I want to do.
And I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do it.
If you don't have the right person,
if you have somebody that's going to crack down on you
and be negative on you, you might crack.
What I tried to create with this team
is to be the team that I want it to be in myself.
I'm considering myself like the cool uncle that's around
and that's been to really guide in the right direction.
LOGAN OWEN: Axel's awesome.
He has a bunch of jokes.
TAO GEOGHEGAN HART: These are the times
that you're going to remember for the rest of your life.
And I think that's something Axel's always held close
to his heart, making the team enjoyable and a lot of l fun
to be on.
AXEL MERCKX: Need a push?
Need a push?
What we are trying to do, we're trying
to attract the best cyclists in the world.
We're trying to make it as close to a family
as you can imagine being on the road.
And we are doing something exceptional.
And at the end of the day, we're doing something that we love.
Being part of tour of California for the riders,
it's a big window for them, basically,
to showcase their talent, to show how strong they are,
and how they really have the talent
to contribute to approach your team in the years to come.
It is a bike race.
And they are entitled to race.
And they can rub shoulders with the pro tour riders.
That's their opportunity right there to do that.
LOGAN OWEN: These are going to be some of the best
memories I have in my life.
I mean, this team shapes a person more than just
as a rider.
It shapes their life honestly.
AXEL MERCKX: I believe in them.
And I have more confidence in them
than I think they might have in themselves sometimes.
Everybody expects you to be something with somebody.
At the end of the day, you just can only be yourself.
And by being yourself, you can accomplish great things also.
My dad has left a great legacy.
What I'm trying to do is do my part for the sport,
and leave a legacy behind, where people
will be able to remember me as a person,
and as a great developer for youth in cycling.
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