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On this day 01/08/2012: @bradwiggins won ITT Olympic gold. I tried to watch the race from about five different spots and could barely see a thing because the crowds were so deep. My parents volunteered as marshals next to the petrol station in East Molesey. Meanwhile, my grandad, a Londoner and TT specialist who started racing in the 1940s, was watching on TV - enjoying Brad winning gold on his home roads.

And today, ten years on, we rode the Parcours at 5am on traffic-free roads. Once a regal, crowd-lined celebration is now just another pot-hole-filled series of A/B roads road in East Molesey covered in litter (until you get to the smooth roads of Bushey Park). But I will never forget that day, nor will many others.

God, I love this sport. Today was an absolute honour.

(The custom @viresvelo @factorbikes OSTRO VAM, has been hand painted by @karlkopinski: thirty-three yellow butterflies, one for each day Brad spent in yellow in 2012 (Tour, Paris-Nice, Dauphine, Romandie) and one gold on the bar-stem 🥇🦋.

On this day 01/08/2012: @bradwiggins won ITT Olympic gold. I tried to watch the race from about five different spots and could barely see a thing because the crowds were so deep. My parents volunteered as marshals next to the petrol station in East Molesey. Meanwhile, my grandad, a Londoner and TT specialist who started racing in the 1940s, was watching on TV - enjoying Brad winning gold on his home roads.

And today, ten years on, we rode the Parcours at 5am on traffic-free roads. Once a regal, crowd-lined celebration is now just another pot-hole-filled series of A/B roads road in East Molesey covered in litter (until you get to the smooth roads of Bushey Park). But I will never forget that day, nor will many others.

God, I love this sport. Today was an absolute honour.

(The custom @viresvelo @factorbikes OSTRO VAM, has been hand painted by @karlkopinski: thirty-three yellow butterflies, one for each day Brad spent in yellow in 2012 (Tour, Paris-Nice, Dauphine, Romandie) and one gold on the bar-stem 🥇🦋.

On this day 01/08/2012: @bradwiggins won ITT Olympic gold. I tried to watch the race from about five different spots and could barely see a thing because the crowds were so deep. My parents volunteered as marshals next to the petrol station in East Molesey. Meanwhile, my grandad, a Londoner and TT specialist who started racing in the 1940s, was watching on TV - enjoying Brad winning gold on his home roads.

And today, ten years on, we rode the Parcours at 5am on traffic-free roads. Once a regal, crowd-lined celebration is now just another pot-hole-filled series of A/B roads road in East Molesey covered in litter (until you get to the smooth roads of Bushey Park). But I will never forget that day, nor will many others.

God, I love this sport. Today was an absolute honour.

(The custom @viresvelo @factorbikes OSTRO VAM, has been hand painted by @karlkopinski: thirty-three yellow butterflies, one for each day Brad spent in yellow in 2012 (Tour, Paris-Nice, Dauphine, Romandie) and one gold on the bar-stem 🥇🦋.

On this day 01/08/2012: @bradwiggins won ITT Olympic gold. I tried to watch the race from about five different spots and could barely see a thing because the crowds were so deep. My parents volunteered as marshals next to the petrol station in East Molesey. Meanwhile, my grandad, a Londoner and TT specialist who started racing in the 1940s, was watching on TV - enjoying Brad winning gold on his home roads.

And today, ten years on, we rode the Parcours at 5am on traffic-free roads. Once a regal, crowd-lined celebration is now just another pot-hole-filled series of A/B roads road in East Molesey covered in litter (until you get to the smooth roads of Bushey Park). But I will never forget that day, nor will many others.

God, I love this sport. Today was an absolute honour.

(The custom @viresvelo @factorbikes OSTRO VAM, has been hand painted by @karlkopinski: thirty-three yellow butterflies, one for each day Brad spent in yellow in 2012 (Tour, Paris-Nice, Dauphine, Romandie) and one gold on the bar-stem 🥇🦋.

On this day 01/08/2012: @bradwiggins won ITT Olympic gold. I tried to watch the race from about five different spots and could barely see a thing because the crowds were so deep. My parents volunteered as marshals next to the petrol station in East Molesey. Meanwhile, my grandad, a Londoner and TT specialist who started racing in the 1940s, was watching on TV - enjoying Brad winning gold on his home roads.

And today, ten years on, we rode the Parcours at 5am on traffic-free roads. Once a regal, crowd-lined celebration is now just another pot-hole-filled series of A/B roads road in East Molesey covered in litter (until you get to the smooth roads of Bushey Park). But I will never forget that day, nor will many others.

God, I love this sport. Today was an absolute honour.

(The custom @viresvelo @factorbikes OSTRO VAM, has been hand painted by @karlkopinski: thirty-three yellow butterflies, one for each day Brad spent in yellow in 2012 (Tour, Paris-Nice, Dauphine, Romandie) and one gold on the bar-stem 🥇🦋.

On this day 01/08/2012: @bradwiggins won ITT Olympic gold. I tried to watch the race from about five different spots and could barely see a thing because the crowds were so deep. My parents volunteered as marshals next to the petrol station in East Molesey. Meanwhile, my grandad, a Londoner and TT specialist who started racing in the 1940s, was watching on TV - enjoying Brad winning gold on his home roads.

And today, ten years on, we rode the Parcours at 5am on traffic-free roads. Once a regal, crowd-lined celebration is now just another pot-hole-filled series of A/B roads road in East Molesey covered in litter (until you get to the smooth roads of Bushey Park). But I will never forget that day, nor will many others.

God, I love this sport. Today was an absolute honour.

(The custom @viresvelo @factorbikes OSTRO VAM, has been hand painted by @karlkopinski: thirty-three yellow butterflies, one for each day Brad spent in yellow in 2012 (Tour, Paris-Nice, Dauphine, Romandie) and one gold on the bar-stem 🥇🦋.

On this day 01/08/2012: @bradwiggins won ITT Olympic gold. I tried to watch the race from about five different spots and could barely see a thing because the crowds were so deep. My parents volunteered as marshals next to the petrol station in East Molesey. Meanwhile, my grandad, a Londoner and TT specialist who started racing in the 1940s, was watching on TV - enjoying Brad winning gold on his home roads.

And today, ten years on, we rode the Parcours at 5am on traffic-free roads. Once a regal, crowd-lined celebration is now just another pot-hole-filled series of A/B roads road in East Molesey covered in litter (until you get to the smooth roads of Bushey Park). But I will never forget that day, nor will many others.

God, I love this sport. Today was an absolute honour.

(The custom @viresvelo @factorbikes OSTRO VAM, has been hand painted by @karlkopinski: thirty-three yellow butterflies, one for each day Brad spent in yellow in 2012 (Tour, Paris-Nice, Dauphine, Romandie) and one gold on the bar-stem 🥇🦋.

On this day 01/08/2012: @bradwiggins won ITT Olympic gold. I tried to watch the race from about five different spots and could barely see a thing because the crowds were so deep. My parents volunteered as marshals next to the petrol station in East Molesey. Meanwhile, my grandad, a Londoner and TT specialist who started racing in the 1940s, was watching on TV - enjoying Brad winning gold on his home roads.

And today, ten years on, we rode the Parcours at 5am on traffic-free roads. Once a regal, crowd-lined celebration is now just another pot-hole-filled series of A/B roads road in East Molesey covered in litter (until you get to the smooth roads of Bushey Park). But I will never forget that day, nor will many others.

God, I love this sport. Today was an absolute honour.

(The custom @viresvelo @factorbikes OSTRO VAM, has been hand painted by @karlkopinski: thirty-three yellow butterflies, one for each day Brad spent in yellow in 2012 (Tour, Paris-Nice, Dauphine, Romandie) and one gold on the bar-stem 🥇🦋.

On this day 01/08/2012: @bradwiggins won ITT Olympic gold. I tried to watch the race from about five different spots and could barely see a thing because the crowds were so deep. My parents volunteered as marshals next to the petrol station in East Molesey. Meanwhile, my grandad, a Londoner and TT specialist who started racing in the 1940s, was watching on TV - enjoying Brad winning gold on his home roads.

And today, ten years on, we rode the Parcours at 5am on traffic-free roads. Once a regal, crowd-lined celebration is now just another pot-hole-filled series of A/B roads road in East Molesey covered in litter (until you get to the smooth roads of Bushey Park). But I will never forget that day, nor will many others.

God, I love this sport. Today was an absolute honour.

(The custom @viresvelo @factorbikes OSTRO VAM, has been hand painted by @karlkopinski: thirty-three yellow butterflies, one for each day Brad spent in yellow in 2012 (Tour, Paris-Nice, Dauphine, Romandie) and one gold on the bar-stem 🥇🦋.

Your bike maintenance routine is probably wrong. Here’s the one that isn’t.

Most riders wash with a hosepipe and wonder why the bearings creak. The hosepipe is the problem. It pushes pressurised water into every bearing on the bike. The sponge is the other problem. Grit gets trapped on the first wipe. Everything after that is slow scratching.
Five products. Twenty minutes. Frame to chain to every bearing interface on the bike. @silca_velo

Save this for your next wash day. Follow if you care about your kit as much as you care about your watts.
#cycling #roadcycling #bikemaintenance #marginalgains #cyclingtips

Wholesome cycling content: When I worked with Team Sky and British Cycling, we had two goals: win the greatest bike races in the world, and something we called “inspiration to participation”, getting more people on a bike. We inspired over 1.5 million people to take up cycling in the UK. This is still a part of me, and I couldn’t be prouder of my son. ❤️ #cycling #roadcycling #britishcycling

I refuse to believe the one about tyre sidewalls.
(Save this) @alexdowsett hour record holder, time trial specialist, now performance engineer at XDS Astana, I asked him for his 5 top tips for everyday cyclists to go faster.

👉 Follow for more performance content from people who actually know what they’re talking about. #marginalgains #roadcycling #cyclingtips

Cyclist @garethwinter reviews Newbeing

#cycling #newbeing #menssupplements

My target was 55 minutes. I got 55:18. Into a headwind that had no interest in my goals.

My grandfather raced time trials. My dad raced time trials. So before I rolled down the start ramp, I asked him for advice…

#marginalgains #roadcycling #cyclingtips

My skinsuit is tighter than last summer. And I’m lining up for a hilly 9.5-mile time trial with a 25-minute target that feels slightly delusional.

So I brought every marginal gain I could find.
@silca_velo Speed Chip Waxed chain. @velotoze Aero socks + overshoes. Tubeless. @lecoluk x @mclarenf1 Skinsuit. The works.

Because when the fitness isn’t there, the details have to be.

Did it get me under 25?

Check the comments 👇

Next weekend: the 20-mile version. Same course, same logic, double the suffering.

Follow along if you want to find out what happens when average legs meet maximum aerodynamics.

#Timetrial #cycling #marginalgains #aeroiseverything

Number 3 will stay with me forever. Grandad, all the conversations we never had. In some ways the sport is complexly unrecognisable, in others, exactly the same.

#roadcycling #steelisreal #ciclismo #cyclingtips

Love you, babe.

This isn’t going to go down well…

#valentines

You might not need it on every ride…
But the day you do, you’ll be glad it’s in your pocket.

📌 Save this. Your future self might thank you. We have all been there, left for dead on the roadside, hoping for the generosity of strangers; a rider to stop and gift you a spare tube. Or worse, having to call in SOS and get picked up… Or the slow, clip-clopping walk of shame to the nearest bike shop.

Equally, we have all been the saviour, the knight in shining armour helping a fellow cyclist on the roadside with a spare tube, pump or multi tool.

Mini pumps = cardio workout and no pressure gauge.
CO2 = one and done. No second chances.
The @silca_velo Elettrico series: accurate, tiny, lightweight, reusable.

#SilcaElettrico #roadcyclingkit #rideessentials #silcavelo

“I will never, ever let standard drip lube touch one of my chains again.” 😆

Once you hear the difference, you can’t unhear it.
Silence is speed. @silca_velo

#marginalgains #roadcycling #chainwaxing #silcavelo #roadbookofcycling #cyclingtips

Last week, @factorbikes & @viresvelo invited me to the Silverstone @ssehub wind tunnel, for a first look at the brand new Factor ONE, hosted by my good friend @millarmind, ex-pro, now Brand Director at Factor, and someone who has continuously inspired me, as a pro, and in his third chapter.

The ONE is about as subtle as a slap in the face. It’s ridiculously radical. Not the timeless British/Italian elegance I have a reputation fof upholding. It’s like someone crossbred the Lotus 108 with a fighter jet and dared it to pass UCI regulations. A fork wider than the Arc de Triomphe, a head tube like a Katana, and an aerospace cockpit. It’s a bike that threw out the rulebook.

And yet… somehow I fell in love with it. It’s so anti-me it’s become me. That contradiction is exactly why it works. Because it doesn’t just evolve. It challenges what we think a road bike should look like. And yes, I know “game-changer” gets thrown around so often it’s lost all meaning… So I’m not going to call it that. Football is a “game.” Cycling is a sport, a way of life, a community; we don’t play games here. We evolve.

Understatement: I’ve ridden a lot of bikes... (“No shit, Gareth…”) For me, it’s important to always test and demo new bikes to increase my frame of reference. Back in 2018, I had ridden and reviewed every bike in the World Tour, but none of them tempted me away from my ageing Colnago C50. That was the benchmark for me: perfect fit, geometry, sharp handling, and looks. Nothing from that era could tempt me away from the C50. Not even the C60, which I deemed a devolution…

Until I rode a Factor O2 with David in the New Forest. That ride made me feel something I hadn’t in years,proper bike envy. So I got myself an O2 VAM, and I’ve ridden one ever since. Now, five years on, the innovation’s finally at a point where I’m tempted again. Seeing the new Factor ONE in the tunnel, observing the CFD data. The one isn’t about marginal gains. It’s about swinging big.

I’m a classic soul at heart. But this? This hits a nerve in a way only the true outliers do. I can’t waitto test ride one in the NY.

Last week, @factorbikes & @viresvelo invited me to the Silverstone @ssehub wind tunnel, for a first look at the brand new Factor ONE, hosted by my good friend @millarmind, ex-pro, now Brand Director at Factor, and someone who has continuously inspired me, as a pro, and in his third chapter.

The ONE is about as subtle as a slap in the face. It’s ridiculously radical. Not the timeless British/Italian elegance I have a reputation fof upholding. It’s like someone crossbred the Lotus 108 with a fighter jet and dared it to pass UCI regulations. A fork wider than the Arc de Triomphe, a head tube like a Katana, and an aerospace cockpit. It’s a bike that threw out the rulebook.

And yet… somehow I fell in love with it. It’s so anti-me it’s become me. That contradiction is exactly why it works. Because it doesn’t just evolve. It challenges what we think a road bike should look like. And yes, I know “game-changer” gets thrown around so often it’s lost all meaning… So I’m not going to call it that. Football is a “game.” Cycling is a sport, a way of life, a community; we don’t play games here. We evolve.

Understatement: I’ve ridden a lot of bikes... (“No shit, Gareth…”) For me, it’s important to always test and demo new bikes to increase my frame of reference. Back in 2018, I had ridden and reviewed every bike in the World Tour, but none of them tempted me away from my ageing Colnago C50. That was the benchmark for me: perfect fit, geometry, sharp handling, and looks. Nothing from that era could tempt me away from the C50. Not even the C60, which I deemed a devolution…

Until I rode a Factor O2 with David in the New Forest. That ride made me feel something I hadn’t in years,proper bike envy. So I got myself an O2 VAM, and I’ve ridden one ever since. Now, five years on, the innovation’s finally at a point where I’m tempted again. Seeing the new Factor ONE in the tunnel, observing the CFD data. The one isn’t about marginal gains. It’s about swinging big.

I’m a classic soul at heart. But this? This hits a nerve in a way only the true outliers do. I can’t waitto test ride one in the NY.

Last week, @factorbikes & @viresvelo invited me to the Silverstone @ssehub wind tunnel, for a first look at the brand new Factor ONE, hosted by my good friend @millarmind, ex-pro, now Brand Director at Factor, and someone who has continuously inspired me, as a pro, and in his third chapter.

The ONE is about as subtle as a slap in the face. It’s ridiculously radical. Not the timeless British/Italian elegance I have a reputation fof upholding. It’s like someone crossbred the Lotus 108 with a fighter jet and dared it to pass UCI regulations. A fork wider than the Arc de Triomphe, a head tube like a Katana, and an aerospace cockpit. It’s a bike that threw out the rulebook.

And yet… somehow I fell in love with it. It’s so anti-me it’s become me. That contradiction is exactly why it works. Because it doesn’t just evolve. It challenges what we think a road bike should look like. And yes, I know “game-changer” gets thrown around so often it’s lost all meaning… So I’m not going to call it that. Football is a “game.” Cycling is a sport, a way of life, a community; we don’t play games here. We evolve.

Understatement: I’ve ridden a lot of bikes... (“No shit, Gareth…”) For me, it’s important to always test and demo new bikes to increase my frame of reference. Back in 2018, I had ridden and reviewed every bike in the World Tour, but none of them tempted me away from my ageing Colnago C50. That was the benchmark for me: perfect fit, geometry, sharp handling, and looks. Nothing from that era could tempt me away from the C50. Not even the C60, which I deemed a devolution…

Until I rode a Factor O2 with David in the New Forest. That ride made me feel something I hadn’t in years,proper bike envy. So I got myself an O2 VAM, and I’ve ridden one ever since. Now, five years on, the innovation’s finally at a point where I’m tempted again. Seeing the new Factor ONE in the tunnel, observing the CFD data. The one isn’t about marginal gains. It’s about swinging big.

I’m a classic soul at heart. But this? This hits a nerve in a way only the true outliers do. I can’t waitto test ride one in the NY.

Last week, @factorbikes & @viresvelo invited me to the Silverstone @ssehub wind tunnel, for a first look at the brand new Factor ONE, hosted by my good friend @millarmind, ex-pro, now Brand Director at Factor, and someone who has continuously inspired me, as a pro, and in his third chapter.

The ONE is about as subtle as a slap in the face. It’s ridiculously radical. Not the timeless British/Italian elegance I have a reputation fof upholding. It’s like someone crossbred the Lotus 108 with a fighter jet and dared it to pass UCI regulations. A fork wider than the Arc de Triomphe, a head tube like a Katana, and an aerospace cockpit. It’s a bike that threw out the rulebook.

And yet… somehow I fell in love with it. It’s so anti-me it’s become me. That contradiction is exactly why it works. Because it doesn’t just evolve. It challenges what we think a road bike should look like. And yes, I know “game-changer” gets thrown around so often it’s lost all meaning… So I’m not going to call it that. Football is a “game.” Cycling is a sport, a way of life, a community; we don’t play games here. We evolve.

Understatement: I’ve ridden a lot of bikes... (“No shit, Gareth…”) For me, it’s important to always test and demo new bikes to increase my frame of reference. Back in 2018, I had ridden and reviewed every bike in the World Tour, but none of them tempted me away from my ageing Colnago C50. That was the benchmark for me: perfect fit, geometry, sharp handling, and looks. Nothing from that era could tempt me away from the C50. Not even the C60, which I deemed a devolution…

Until I rode a Factor O2 with David in the New Forest. That ride made me feel something I hadn’t in years,proper bike envy. So I got myself an O2 VAM, and I’ve ridden one ever since. Now, five years on, the innovation’s finally at a point where I’m tempted again. Seeing the new Factor ONE in the tunnel, observing the CFD data. The one isn’t about marginal gains. It’s about swinging big.

I’m a classic soul at heart. But this? This hits a nerve in a way only the true outliers do. I can’t waitto test ride one in the NY.

Last week, @factorbikes & @viresvelo invited me to the Silverstone @ssehub wind tunnel, for a first look at the brand new Factor ONE, hosted by my good friend @millarmind, ex-pro, now Brand Director at Factor, and someone who has continuously inspired me, as a pro, and in his third chapter.

The ONE is about as subtle as a slap in the face. It’s ridiculously radical. Not the timeless British/Italian elegance I have a reputation fof upholding. It’s like someone crossbred the Lotus 108 with a fighter jet and dared it to pass UCI regulations. A fork wider than the Arc de Triomphe, a head tube like a Katana, and an aerospace cockpit. It’s a bike that threw out the rulebook.

And yet… somehow I fell in love with it. It’s so anti-me it’s become me. That contradiction is exactly why it works. Because it doesn’t just evolve. It challenges what we think a road bike should look like. And yes, I know “game-changer” gets thrown around so often it’s lost all meaning… So I’m not going to call it that. Football is a “game.” Cycling is a sport, a way of life, a community; we don’t play games here. We evolve.

Understatement: I’ve ridden a lot of bikes... (“No shit, Gareth…”) For me, it’s important to always test and demo new bikes to increase my frame of reference. Back in 2018, I had ridden and reviewed every bike in the World Tour, but none of them tempted me away from my ageing Colnago C50. That was the benchmark for me: perfect fit, geometry, sharp handling, and looks. Nothing from that era could tempt me away from the C50. Not even the C60, which I deemed a devolution…

Until I rode a Factor O2 with David in the New Forest. That ride made me feel something I hadn’t in years,proper bike envy. So I got myself an O2 VAM, and I’ve ridden one ever since. Now, five years on, the innovation’s finally at a point where I’m tempted again. Seeing the new Factor ONE in the tunnel, observing the CFD data. The one isn’t about marginal gains. It’s about swinging big.

I’m a classic soul at heart. But this? This hits a nerve in a way only the true outliers do. I can’t waitto test ride one in the NY.

Last week, @factorbikes & @viresvelo invited me to the Silverstone @ssehub wind tunnel, for a first look at the brand new Factor ONE, hosted by my good friend @millarmind, ex-pro, now Brand Director at Factor, and someone who has continuously inspired me, as a pro, and in his third chapter.

The ONE is about as subtle as a slap in the face. It’s ridiculously radical. Not the timeless British/Italian elegance I have a reputation fof upholding. It’s like someone crossbred the Lotus 108 with a fighter jet and dared it to pass UCI regulations. A fork wider than the Arc de Triomphe, a head tube like a Katana, and an aerospace cockpit. It’s a bike that threw out the rulebook.

And yet… somehow I fell in love with it. It’s so anti-me it’s become me. That contradiction is exactly why it works. Because it doesn’t just evolve. It challenges what we think a road bike should look like. And yes, I know “game-changer” gets thrown around so often it’s lost all meaning… So I’m not going to call it that. Football is a “game.” Cycling is a sport, a way of life, a community; we don’t play games here. We evolve.

Understatement: I’ve ridden a lot of bikes... (“No shit, Gareth…”) For me, it’s important to always test and demo new bikes to increase my frame of reference. Back in 2018, I had ridden and reviewed every bike in the World Tour, but none of them tempted me away from my ageing Colnago C50. That was the benchmark for me: perfect fit, geometry, sharp handling, and looks. Nothing from that era could tempt me away from the C50. Not even the C60, which I deemed a devolution…

Until I rode a Factor O2 with David in the New Forest. That ride made me feel something I hadn’t in years,proper bike envy. So I got myself an O2 VAM, and I’ve ridden one ever since. Now, five years on, the innovation’s finally at a point where I’m tempted again. Seeing the new Factor ONE in the tunnel, observing the CFD data. The one isn’t about marginal gains. It’s about swinging big.

I’m a classic soul at heart. But this? This hits a nerve in a way only the true outliers do. I can’t waitto test ride one in the NY.

Last week, @factorbikes & @viresvelo invited me to the Silverstone @ssehub wind tunnel, for a first look at the brand new Factor ONE, hosted by my good friend @millarmind, ex-pro, now Brand Director at Factor, and someone who has continuously inspired me, as a pro, and in his third chapter.

The ONE is about as subtle as a slap in the face. It’s ridiculously radical. Not the timeless British/Italian elegance I have a reputation fof upholding. It’s like someone crossbred the Lotus 108 with a fighter jet and dared it to pass UCI regulations. A fork wider than the Arc de Triomphe, a head tube like a Katana, and an aerospace cockpit. It’s a bike that threw out the rulebook.

And yet… somehow I fell in love with it. It’s so anti-me it’s become me. That contradiction is exactly why it works. Because it doesn’t just evolve. It challenges what we think a road bike should look like. And yes, I know “game-changer” gets thrown around so often it’s lost all meaning… So I’m not going to call it that. Football is a “game.” Cycling is a sport, a way of life, a community; we don’t play games here. We evolve.

Understatement: I’ve ridden a lot of bikes... (“No shit, Gareth…”) For me, it’s important to always test and demo new bikes to increase my frame of reference. Back in 2018, I had ridden and reviewed every bike in the World Tour, but none of them tempted me away from my ageing Colnago C50. That was the benchmark for me: perfect fit, geometry, sharp handling, and looks. Nothing from that era could tempt me away from the C50. Not even the C60, which I deemed a devolution…

Until I rode a Factor O2 with David in the New Forest. That ride made me feel something I hadn’t in years,proper bike envy. So I got myself an O2 VAM, and I’ve ridden one ever since. Now, five years on, the innovation’s finally at a point where I’m tempted again. Seeing the new Factor ONE in the tunnel, observing the CFD data. The one isn’t about marginal gains. It’s about swinging big.

I’m a classic soul at heart. But this? This hits a nerve in a way only the true outliers do. I can’t waitto test ride one in the NY.

Last week, @factorbikes & @viresvelo invited me to the Silverstone @ssehub wind tunnel, for a first look at the brand new Factor ONE, hosted by my good friend @millarmind, ex-pro, now Brand Director at Factor, and someone who has continuously inspired me, as a pro, and in his third chapter.

The ONE is about as subtle as a slap in the face. It’s ridiculously radical. Not the timeless British/Italian elegance I have a reputation fof upholding. It’s like someone crossbred the Lotus 108 with a fighter jet and dared it to pass UCI regulations. A fork wider than the Arc de Triomphe, a head tube like a Katana, and an aerospace cockpit. It’s a bike that threw out the rulebook.

And yet… somehow I fell in love with it. It’s so anti-me it’s become me. That contradiction is exactly why it works. Because it doesn’t just evolve. It challenges what we think a road bike should look like. And yes, I know “game-changer” gets thrown around so often it’s lost all meaning… So I’m not going to call it that. Football is a “game.” Cycling is a sport, a way of life, a community; we don’t play games here. We evolve.

Understatement: I’ve ridden a lot of bikes... (“No shit, Gareth…”) For me, it’s important to always test and demo new bikes to increase my frame of reference. Back in 2018, I had ridden and reviewed every bike in the World Tour, but none of them tempted me away from my ageing Colnago C50. That was the benchmark for me: perfect fit, geometry, sharp handling, and looks. Nothing from that era could tempt me away from the C50. Not even the C60, which I deemed a devolution…

Until I rode a Factor O2 with David in the New Forest. That ride made me feel something I hadn’t in years,proper bike envy. So I got myself an O2 VAM, and I’ve ridden one ever since. Now, five years on, the innovation’s finally at a point where I’m tempted again. Seeing the new Factor ONE in the tunnel, observing the CFD data. The one isn’t about marginal gains. It’s about swinging big.

I’m a classic soul at heart. But this? This hits a nerve in a way only the true outliers do. I can’t waitto test ride one in the NY.