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Axel Merckx could become the new national coach for Belgian Cycling, but would face stiff competition from fellow former pro Peter Van Petegem,❀ according to a Dutch cycling website.

According to Wielerflits.nl, Merckx – who runs the US-based 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Hagens Berman Axeon Pro Continental t☂eam – would be "honoured" to take the role, which has become available following the resignation of 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Kevin De Weert, who will join 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Lotto Soudal as their new performance manager.

De Weert vacated his꧑ position after the UCI Road World Champ✅ionships in Innsbruck, Austria, last month, where the Belgian national team largely failed to perform, other than in the junior men's events, with Re🍎mco Evenepoel winning both the time trial and the road race𓆉 – ✅although De Weert had already resigned to join Lotto Soudal before the Worlds.

Merckx – son of five-time Tour de France winner Eddy Merckx – heads up the Hagens Berman Axeon deve🌊lopment squad, but would apparently be keen to take on the role of Belgian national coach in addition to his current duties, explaining that hi🐈s team will be racing in Europe a lot more in 2019, which could resolve any reservations the Belgian federation have about his availability for the role, which is not full-time.

"I think about 80 per cent of our races will be in Europe next season," Merckx told Wielerflits.nl. "That means that I'll be there﷽ for a number of races.

"I would be honoured to become the Belgian national coach," he cont𒐪inued. "I've always liked racing in the national kit, and achieved many of my best results wearing it."

Indeed, Merckx in Athens while representing Belgium, and 1𝓡68澳洲5最新开奖结果:was fourt🌠h at the 1996 Worlds road race in Lugano, Switzerland.

He was also the 2000 road race🀅 national cham⛦pion, in the same year that he won a stage at the Giro d'Italia.

As a team director and owner, Merckx has learned how to pick the most talented riders, which would be a key requirement oꦡf the Belgian federation role when selecting riders for the Worlds, for example.

In his role at Hagens Berman Axeon, and the team's previous guises as Trek Livestrong, Bontrager and the Bissell Development Team, Merckx has helped deliver a number of young riders to WorldTour level, including 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Taylor Phinney, 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Alex Dowsett and Ben King, and, most recently, 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Sean Bennett, who will leave Hagens Beꦗrman Axeon tꩲo join EF Education First-Drapac for 2019.

While Merckx's racing palmarès is impressive, and his results as a team manager equally so, compatriot Peter Van Petegem, who is also on the long list for the role, can boast two Tour of Flanders titles – 1999 and ⛎2003 – and a win at the 2003 Paris-Roubaix.

Eitheꦬr would be a popular choice with Belgian cycling fans.

According to the Dutch website, Belgian Cycling director Jos Smets confirmed that both former riders were in the mix for the vacant role – "Merckx and✅ Van Petegem are two names on a list of 20" – while Merckx said that at this stage he'd only received a p🧔hone call from the federation to gauge his interest and to ask whether holding two roles would be "practically feasible".