FAREWELL ROMAIN BARDET - THANK YOU FOR THE MEMORIES

By the latter half of 2016, Romain Bardet had established himself as among the most exciting French riders of his generation. He had taken 2nd at the 2016 Tour de France after an audacious stage win to Saint-Gervais Mont Blanc. He followed that impressive result up with a strong autumn Italian classics campaign, finishing with a 4th place at the Tour of Lombardy. Romain had well and truly arrived, and his longtime team, AG2R La Mondiale knew it.

Since the team was looking for a new bike brand to sponsor them, AG2R management wisely asked Romain what brand he would like to have. Thoughtful and insightful as ever, Romain tested a few, but had heard of a new British brand that had only just started, but had already established a reputation for quality and innovation. Rob Gitelis had established Factor Bikes in 2015, but production only really started in 2016. That was when he released the O2 and breathed new life into the company.

Photo credit: AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM

A meeting of minds

Volume was tiny in the first year. Not even 250 bikes had been produced by the time Romain first tested an O2. When he finally had a chance to ride the O2 in the winter of 2016, Romain fell in love with it immediately, and requested the team go with Factor Bikes as the new sponsor.

AG2R La Mondiale was interested in keeping their new star happy, and since they did not have a new bike sponsor in the pipeline, the deal was made. From Rob Gitelis and Factor’s point of view, this was an incredible move. Most bike brands take years to make it into the WorldTour and compete at the Tour de France. With fewer than 250 bikes sold by that time, the next 250 bikes would be designated for AG2R; many considered it madness. Yet it represented why Rob founded Factor. He wanted his bikes to be raced at the highest level by the best athletes. That was where he found inspiration and motivation; he didn’t want to wait. Rob’s commitment to performance and optimisation melded perfectly with Romain’s own determination to be the best rider he could be in everything from training methods to materials.

Photo credit: AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM

Pushing to the limit

The team sponsorship necessarily accelerated the development of a TT bike. The SLiCK was born. The pressure of sponsorship pushed Factor to the very edge, yet at the 2017 Tour de France, Romain Bardet won another mountain stage and once again finished on the podium of the Tour de France. Factor had arrived.

Bardet recently recalled:

"I have really good memories of my years on Factor. I was so hyped to ride the 02, which was for me the ultimate climbing bike back in those days. I knew I had the best material to give it another shot at the Tour de France podium in 2017, and the year after to ride my best ever classic season, from Strade Bianche to the World Championships. I was also one of the first to ride a proper aero bike with the ONE. The unique painting designs on the bikes we created together made them really special.”

Photo credit: AG2R LA MONDIALE TEAM

Merci Romain

Even after Romain was no longer riding a Factor, we loved watching him race and rooted for his success. He has proved himself time and again to be as great a human being as he is an athlete. Thoughtful, introspective, open to new ideas, Romain always impressed, and we will miss seeing him jumping away from the pack on the steepest parts of the hardest climbs.

“Romain believed in Factor before the world really knew who we were. In 2016, we were still finding our feet - fewer than 250 bikes made - but Romain saw something in us, and that changed everything. His decision to bring Factor into the WorldTour helped define the trajectory of our brand. I’ll always be grateful for his trust, his class, and his relentless pursuit of performance. Watching him race has been one of the great privileges of my career. We wish him continued fulfillment and inspiration in whatever he chooses to pursue next.”

—— Rob Gitelis, Founder, Factor Bikes.

Everyone at Factor Bikes joins Rob in wishing Romain success and joy in the next chapter of his career.

Merci Romain et meilleurs vœux!