Axel Jonkheer Merckx (born 8 August 1972 in Uccle) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer and the son of five-time Tour de France champion Eddy Merckx.

In his professional career (1993–2007), he won the Belgian national road race championship in 2000 and a bronze medal in the road race at the 2004 Olympic games in Athens.

Axel Merckx became a professional cyclist in 1993, winning the Belgian national road race championship in 2000. He repeatedly vowed to make his mark by accomplishing feats that had eluded his father Eddy, such as winning a Tour de France stage at Alpe d'Huez and the Paris–Tours classic. He did not succeed, but competed in eight Tours de France and finished as the highest-placed Belgian rider six times.

Merckx won the bronze medal in the road race at the 2004 Games in Athens, breaking free in the final kilometre.

During the 2006 Tour, Merckx announced that he signed a new contract for one extra season with Phonak, later renamed iShares. He stated that this would be his last season as a professional road bicycle racer. However, after Phonak announced that it would stop sponsoring the cycling team, Merckx signed a contract with Team T-Mobile, where he had started his professional career.

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