CHRIS FROOME VISITS FACTOR HEADQUARTERS TO TALK TECH, BUSINESS AND TO PICK UP HIS NEW SPECIAL EDITION BIKE

12 October; Taichung, Taiwan - Factor Bikes, the premium performance bicycle brand, welcomed seven-time Grand Tour winner Chris Froome to its global headquarters this week to present him with a special edition colourway of the new O2 VAM. Drawing inspiration from the British-Kenyan racer’s ‘spirit animal’ the rhinoceros, the bike will be raced by Froome in the 2024 season.

While in Taichung, Froome met with Factor’s design and engineering team to discuss development of the brand’s product roadmap through 2024 and beyond. As part of a full day of immersion, spending time with staff, he offered insights of riding the brand’s latest products in both training and racing, providing rider-focused input to the technical direction of future designs.  He also got to ride with local cycling enthusiasts and fans.

Froome is an investor in Factor as well as parts and accessories brand, Black Inc. He sits on the Board of Directors, providing unique insight from decades at the sharp edge of the racing business.

A collaboration between illustrator Karl Kopinski and Factor’s Creative Director, Jay Gundzik, the special edition O2 VAM’s unique colourway is a celebration of the partnership between Factor and the prolific Grand Tour winner. Featuring a colour palette inspired by the landscape of Kenya and featuring Froome’s ‘spirit animal’, the rhinoceros, all graphics are integrated closely into the carbon frame to ensure the bike remains fast, light and aerodynamic. 

This colourway is Factor’s third custom creation from artist Karl Kopinski, following the one-off butterfly-painted Factor Ostro VAM for Bradley Wiggins and Andre Greipel’s personalised OSTRO VAM with a gorilla motif hand-drawn by Kopinski. 

Commenting on his visit to Taiwan, Chris Froome said: “Spending time with the Factor team in Taichung has been a real privilege. It’s been eye-opening to see the technology and data that are going into the engineering of the bikes. We’ve been able to discuss some exciting new designs and products that will come to market in the next couple of years. 

“The custom O2 VAM that Jay and Karl created for me was such a great surprise - I’m amazed they managed to keep it secret! The thought and skill that has gone into telling my story through the design while keeping the bike incredibly lightweight is seriously impressive.” 

Rob Gitelis, CEO, Factor Bikes, said: “Right at the start of the O2 VAM development process we decided that we wanted to create a special design for Chris. The bike is tailor-made to his riding style - powerful, constantly in motion and a bit wild - so using this frame as a canvas to tell his story makes perfect sense.

“Presenting the bike to Chris in Taichung at Factor HQ was a great moment within an intense few days of meetings. It’s great to see Chris’ increasing involvement within the brand, with this trip an opportunity for our wider team in the production facility plus regional dealers and local cycling community to meet one of the most important cyclists of this era and learn how we’re working together to shape the next generation of products.” 

Karl Kopinski, Illustrator, said: “I’ve been a fan of Chris for a long time obviously as any fan of cycling would be. When I was asked to collaborate on a bike design for him with the guys at Factor I jumped at the chance. The project was really interesting from the outset; Jay and I spoke very early on about using the Rhino as a key element and also referencing the drawings of Albrecht Durer which I’ve always loved. We also worked on including several Kenyan-influenced patterns and motifs.

“I really like Jay’s aesthetic and working with him was great. As an artist, it can be quite a solitary process, so I really enjoyed bouncing ideas around with him. The final product looks fantastic and is a real amalgamation of both Jay’s and my own work. It’s been a pleasure and an honour - I hope Chris loves it as much as I do!”