OSTRO VAM: In the Winner’s Circle

It’s June. But we’re in Liège country. The final stage of the 2026 Tour de Wallonie, and Modern Adventure’s Ben Oliver is among a reduced group of elite classics specialists and sprinters, fast approaching the finish line in Aubel. He’s already won a stage earlier in the race, and stands an outside chance to take the overall, but he has to win the stage to secure it. The group ratchets-up the speed to 60+ km/h. There is some commotion just before the final bend. Emerging from the argy-bargy, Oliver out-sprints Arnaud De Lie, winning the stage and the overall. What was he riding? The OSTRO VAM.

As the latest in a long line of impressive victories for the OSTRO VAM, Oliver’s win was not only the biggest of his career, but the latest evidence that Modern Adventure Pro Cycling is well ahead of schedule in terms of making its mark in the European peloton.

Part of a Five-Year Plan

Modern Adventure’s recent successes and overall strong performances throughout its first season emphatically confirm the potential of the project. It’s a project that Factor believes in deeply, which is why the brand will become a co-title sponsor of the team, starting in 2027.  What began as a founding technical partnership in the team’s first year of racing now becomes a deeper commitment to team building, supporting recruitment, rider development, performance infrastructure, and closer collaboration between Factor’s engineers, athletes, and performance staff.

For Factor and especially, Factor and Black Inc Founder Rob Gitelis, the team is not simply another racing program. It represents a chance to help build the structure that young American riders have often lacked: a professional environment with international ambition, domestic roots, and a credible route toward the biggest race in the world.

“I know what it feels like to be a young American rider looking toward Europe and trying to understand how to get there,” said Gitelis. “There was no easy pathway then, and it still isn’t easy now. George and Dustin are trying to build something that gives riders a real structure, a real team, and a real chance. The ambition to reach the Tour de France within five years is bold, but it has to be. Factor wants to be part of that because we believe in the mission, and because we can contribute more than equipment.”

Factor’s increased role will extend beyond supplying bikes. The partnership will give athletes on the team closer access to Factor’s experience across WorldTour racing, product development, engineering, and manufacturing, while athlete feedback will inform future developments. With former professional riders, engineers, and product specialists inside the company, Factor will work closely with the team’s performance staff and athletes to support both racing outcomes and long-term product development.

The OSTRO VAM will play an integral role in this symbiotic relationship. From race wins this season to technological advancements in the coming, Factor’s engineers will look to the feedback of Modern Adventure’s riders to know where to focus future tech initiatives.

The best overall road bike

With wins over the years as varied as Tour de France stages at the top of the Puy de Dôme and over the cobbles of Roubaix, to the most recent success in Wallonie, the Factor OSTRO VAM has consistently proved itself capable of tackling any type of terrain. In its 2026 Buyer’s Guide, Cyclingnews recognised this elite level of versatility by naming the OSTRO VAM the Best Overall Road Bike, citing the bike’s excellent aerodynamic performance, low weight, superb handling, and ease of customisation during the purchase process as the primary reasons that set it apart from the competition. This result comes on the heels of the 2024 wind tunnel test where Cyclingnews found the OSTRO VAM to be the overall best performer.

Validation from third-party testing is only part of the story. Real rider feedback reconfirms the superior performance of intangibles like ride feel, sharp handling, confidence-inspiring stability, expertly combined with rocket-like responsiveness. “I like to joke I waited until I retired from road racing to get the best road bike of my career,” Rob Britton said. “Riding the OSTRO VAM, it’s been just an awesome journey with Factor.”

Each OSTRO VAM has been designed to offer the highest level of performance for the most elite riders in the world. That means no compromises have been made in terms of offering the sharpest handling and responsive acceleration.

Nevertheless, you don’t need to be a pro or even plan on racing to appreciate an OSTRO VAM. All you need is the desire to test the limits and find new levels of fitness. Designed to be fast above all else, the OSTRO VAM has played a pivotal role in some of the biggest victories our teams have earned by providing essential performance in all conditions.

Read the reviews

 “The OSTRO VAM is the consummate modern all-round race bike. Whether you can feel specific aero gains or not, the blend of stiffness, pin-sharp handling and refinement the OSTRO VAM offers is intoxicating. As a complete riding experience, it’s up there with the very best…it’s difficult to pick apart the OSTRO VAM’s ride without lapsing into cliches because it’s simply very good. It’s a satisfying thing to try very hard on, one that rewards your best efforts with both the sense of speed and actual speed and inspires confidence when you point it downhill and carve through a series of bends.” – Matthew Loveridge, Cyclist - Factor Ostro VAM road bike review

“As a bike built specifically for pro racing, the OSTRO VAM is all about speed and high-end performance. But, as I discovered, that doesn’t preclude the enthusiast non-pro from getting a huge amount of pleasure from riding it. In the past I’ve found some pro bikes don’t come alive until they’re subjected to the sort of power only the pros can produce – their potential is not exactly wasted on amateur riders, but just most of the time it’s out of reach. This isn’t the case with the Factor. It has a nuanced, responsive feel from the off, though it's immediately evident that it has a huge amount of latent speed waiting to be unlocked.”  – Simon Smythe, Rouleur - Factor Ostro VAM gen 2 review: dazzling performance

“The Factor OSTRO VAM feels alive from the first pedal stroke. Seriously: the low weight of the wheels is immediately noticeable, and it allows the bike to get up to speed impressively quickly. But that’s paired with excellent stiffness front to back, particularly at the front of the bike. I’m not a pro, but I could not get the bike to flex or react in a way that wasn’t predictable and easy to manage. That combination of low weight and great lateral stiffness makes the bike feel like a climbing bike. Does this feeling mean the bike is any faster? I doubt it. But it makes me feel like not only is the bike willing to go faster, but I am stronger than I am…With the Factor, riders get one of the sharpest-handling race bikes out there, and one that feels as fast on the flats as any race bike I’ve ever ridden.” – VELO - Review: What We Learned Riding the Factor Ostro VAM Over 1500 Miles

Core to the road range

The OSTRO VAM is the beating heart of the Factor road range. The bike that sets all the standards. It’s the synergy of aerodynamics, lightness, stiffness, and comfort. Designed by cyclists, scientifically developed, and manufactured in our own factory, the OSTRO VAM sets the standard for the ultimate modern racing bike thanks to state-of-the-art design and engineering.

 Follow us for the latest updates from all our athletes.

Factor Instagram / Facebook / Youtube / Factor Racing Instagram