Taylor Phinney, Lawson Craddock, Joe Dombrowski, Ian Boswell, Alex Dowsett, Ben King and Jasper Stuyven all have something in common. They have reched the WorldTour ranks after passing through the hands of Axel Merckx's development team. And they are unlikely to be the last to do so.The Belgian has announced that his team will continue under the name of Axeon Cycling Team next season.

Axel Merkcx began his work in 2009 with the Trek-Livestrong team which was renamed Bontrager in 2012. This year it rode under the name Bissell Development Team. With Axeon Cycling Team, Merckx seeks to create a brand that will be independent of the change of sponsors. The team will continue at the continental level and will be based in the United States. The bike supplier will change as Cipollini takes over from Trek.

“My goal is to create a team legacy and a program with a strong name that will endure,” said Merckx. “I believe we have the best riders in the world signed for 2015. With continued hard work and attention to doing things the right way, this team will be known as the team that young riders strive to join, the one of which pros will be proud to call themselves alumni.”

Geoffrey Curran, Greg Daniel, Daniel Eaton, Tao Geoghegan Hart, James Oram, Logan Owen, Chris Putt and Keegan Swirbul continue with the team and will be joined Portuguese Ruben Guerreiro and Justin Oien to form the continental team. Will Barta and Phil O'Donnell will be part of the team as club riders.

Since its inception, Merckx's program  has sent 18 riders to the WorldTour, with Taylor Phinney (BMC), Lawson Craddock (Giant-Alpecin), Joe Dombrowski (Cannondale-Garmin), Ian Boswell (Team Sky), Alex Dowsett (Movistar), Ben King (Cannondale-Garmin) and Jasper Stuyven (Trek Factory Racing) being the main names. From last year's team, Ruben Zepuntke has signed a contract with Cannondale-Garmin while Clement Chevrier (IAM Cycling), Tanner Putt (UnitedHealthcare) and Nathan van Hooydonck (BMC Development Team) have also taken a next step.