Rob Gitelis nearing Paris

Now that Rob Gitelis, Founder of Factor and Black Inc, has reached the deep end of the third week in his TOUR 21 challenge, thoughts inevitably turn to Paris. As with any endeavour as difficult as riding every stage of the Tour de France, Rob has experienced a series of ups and downs, both literally and metaphorically. For Rob, the testing climbs have almost been the easiest part; those times when he could just get into his own rhythm and work his way to the top. The harder times have come in less obvious places, like long straight roads grinding into a headwind. And the heat has been a constant companion. 

If you have been keeping track of Rob and his TOUR 21 story from the beginning, you probably know that he started his ride on the Factor ONE. For any racer looking to maximise their speed and performance, it is the obvious choice. But it became clear that Rob was not engaged in a race, an attempt to whittle down the competition and take advantage of others’ moments of weakness. On the contrary, the TOUR 21 is a collaborative group, helping each other out and staying together as much as possible. They also stop for lunch mid-ride and any other times that the collective needs to top up on water or cool off after a sun-exposed climb.

The camaraderie that developed out of this group-suffering is sincere. But it also meant that some days, Rob was spending upwards of 8+ hours on the bike. It soon became clear that the ONE was not the ideal bike for these conditions. So near the end of week 1, Rob switched to his usual OSTRO VAM. It’s a frame that offers a more forgiving level of compliance, which helps smooth out the extra hours spent on the bike.

“This is not a race. It’s not a test of who’s strongest. It’s really about trying to get everybody to the finish line every day,” Rob said. “We really try to support each other. The heat has made it really challenging. And some of my teammates are actually fighting blood cancers as they are riding this event. So, our job is to help everybody make it to the finish every day.”

Something that has become clear to Rob over the course of these many long days on the bike is that everyone who is participating in the TOUR 21, this year and in past years, has a deep connection to the cause behind the initiative. Some of his co-riders have ridden it in the past, and have known people personally who have suffered from leukaemia and benefited from the clinical trials that Cure Leukaemia has made possible. It is an organisation that has made a measurable difference in the lives of hundreds of people, not only in the UK but around the world.

“I have a lot of charities approach me to participate in various fundraisers, but I always make sure to do my due diligence into the charity, looking at how much the CEO pays themself, checking out really how much of the funds raised make it to the people who actually need it,” Rob explained. “And I am really impressed with Cure Leukaemia and everything they do. That’s why I wanted to take part in TOUR 21. They are truly committed to channeling the money raised into the fight against blood cancers. My goal is to raise at least £40,000 by the time we reach Paris. Every £50,000 can fund one clinical nurse for one full year. So to know that the money is going to this very tangible use makes it all the more rewarding.”

With that in mind, Rob has decided to auction off his TOUR 21 OSTRO VAM once he finishes in Paris. All proceeds will be added to his TOUR 21 Just Giving donation page.

Enjoying an immersive experience

If your email inbox and social media cycling feeds are anything like ours, you are currently being inundated with Tour de France pundit race reviews, stage recaps, and product placements to the point that there is practically no way to read and consume everything. You are probably watching at least a portion of the race itself, or maybe even have been roadside for a stage or two. That’s exactly what our intrepid Chief Brand Officer, David Millar, is experiencing basically for the first time in his long career at the Tour. Though he raced many years and commentated for several more, he had never quite experienced the colourful chaos that is the Tour de France publicity caravan.

Existing just on the outside of the Tour bubble, neither a competitor nor a member of the accredited media, has given David a chance to reflect on the all-consuming nature of the Tour de France, the largest yearly sporting event in the world. It has also given him the freedom not only to express ideas and opinions that maybe before he would have been a little more reticent about vocalising, it has given him the chance to ride his Factor ONE every day, or nearly, in some of the most sumptuously beautiful corners of France.

David’s Daily Diaries

Last year, David Millar wrote daily diaries in addition to fulfilling his duties as a British television commentator and Factor’s Chief Brand Officer. We sent them out using official Factor channels; we had already worked on his Migration Race Dairies the year before, so it seemed like a natural progression.

This year, David decided that he wanted to formalise his Substack page as the official home of all David Millar’s written work. It has given him the chance to take half-a-step away from his role within Factor, so that he can be a little freer in his musings and express more personal thoughts.

If anything, the diaries are even better than last year, with David covering everything from history lessons from around Gascony to his personal experience with André Darrigade. Who’s that, you might ask. Well, if you have been paying attention to Tadej Pogačar’s steady climb up the list of all-time Tour de France stage winners, you may have noticed Darrigade’s name with 22 wins just above Pogačar’s, that is, until Pogačar won his 23rd stage after his decimation of the peloton on the Tourmalet on Thursday’s stage 6. Though Darrigade’s name is not as well known today, he was an exceptional sprinter in the mid-1950s to mid-1960s, and David was lucky enough to make friends with Darrigade early in his career while living in Biarritz.  

You can read David’s stories here.

For the Love of Cycling Podcast

If you don’t live in the UK, you might not be aware that our fellow cycling enthusiasts there are having much more difficulty watching live coverage of the Tour de France than many of the rest of us. That’s because last year, ITV, the station that had been broadcasting Tour coverage in the UK, decided not to continue their coverage starting in 2026. Most of the Tour coverage to be found is behind an expensive paywall. The news of ITV discontinuing their coverage hit David Millar and his fellow commentator, Ned Boulting, very hard, since they had been working as the ITV commentators for many years. 

As a result, they decided to take their podcast on the road, following each stage of the Tour and podding in the evening. The format is more free-form than their on-the-air ITV coverage was, but they are still bringing the audience a play-by-play analysis augmented by unique stories and observations that you won’t find anywhere else.

Select favourite moments so far:

Stage 4 podcast (about 28 minutes in) the Brompton story, 2016 mad dash + wasp sting and the time Bradly Wiggins had to wear David Millar’s Saunier Duval kit through a French airport.

Stage 7 podcast (about 24 minutes in) David and Ned reminisce about Mark Cavendish, the first time David met the young Cav, and describes the incredible team performance that helped Cavendish win Worlds in Copenhagen. 

Stage 8 podcast. The format has now settled into starting with a stage recap that will remind all the viewers of just how adept David and Ned were at doing just this as commentators. But then they segue into something that is more of a story time, sometimes about the places they are staying and the amazing sights they are seeing. And then sometimes about personal experiences and past adventures, like in the Stage 8 podcast when, about 29 minutes in, David retells the story of how he moved to France as a teenager to race on the U23 circuit before turning pro.

Earlier in the pod, while reviewing the cycling news in the press, David translates for us the quotes he gave L'Équipe when they called him as an authoritative pundit to ask whether he thinks Pogačar’s dominance is killing cycling. If you’ve read David’s previous diaries, you will know where he stands on that point. 

For the first Rest Day, David had a special guest interview with Rob Gitelis, who was busy resting ahead of his final week of the TOUR 21. Rob had already mentioned that some of his friends had teased him recently that he is finally riding a Grand Tour. But what he is doing is no joke. His accomplishment has filled David Millar, and the rest of the Factor team, with admiration. David truly understands what a difficult task it has been, especially in the face of the extreme heat that has hit Europe this summer.

You can watch this interview and all the other For the Love of Cycling podcasts here.

More to come

With Rob’s TOUR 21 nearly over and the professional’s Tour well into the second week, it might feel like the end is nearing, but there is a lot more on the agenda at Factor. Big race days are ahead, and we are also beginning to gear up for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, which will be starting August 1 in la belle Suisse. Keep reading and watching so you don’t miss any of the exciting news.

Follow us for the latest updates from all our athletes.

Factor Instagram / Facebook / Youtube / Factor Racing Instagram