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Olympic cyclist to visit West Shore velodrome

Talk to youth part of first of two B.C. cycling events

Olympic medallist Axel Merckx will be at the West Shore Parks and Recreation velodrome on Saturday to speak to a group of young cyclists taking part in the Tripleshot Youth 3-Day event.

It’s being held by the Axel Merckx Youth Development Foundation, which works towards developing and stewarding young Canadian cyclists. Merckx will speak about his own experiences as a professional cyclist.

Merckx, who currently lives in Kelowna, grew up in Belgium and won a bronze medal for his home country at the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, Greece. He also competed in eight Tours de France. His father, Eddy Merckx, was a five-time Tour de France champion.

The event is one of two being held in B.C. this summer. The other is the Hayman Classic from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 in Penticton. Both events are open to any riders between the ages of 11 and 18 and will teach cycling skills while giving the youth the opportunity to compete.

"I would like to help Canada's youth pursue their dreams in the sport of cycling and this new partnership with Cycling B.C. and the Canadian Cycling Association will help achieve this goal," said Merckx in a statement promoting the event.

For more information on the Tripleshot Youth event, visit amydf.org.