Factor Bikes: the British bike brand looking to make a splash on the WorldTour

You may not have seen too many Factor Bikes being ridden on your local club run, but the British brand is now making the step up to WorldTour level, only nine years after being founded.

After sponsoring One Pro Cycling last year, the company has now struck a deal with Ag2r-La Mondiale, with the team receiving its first bikes at a training camp in Vaujany in the French Alps.

>>> 2016 WorldTour bikes guide

Factor co-owner and former Tour de France green jersey winner Baden Cooke and "test pilot" David Millar were on hand to present Romain Bardet and co. with their new bikes.

“It will be a very proud moment seeing the bikes I helped develop being raced in the Tour de France next year", said Millar. "Factor Bikes have allowed me more say in development than any manufacturer during my racing career."

>>> Romain Bardet: romantic, audacious, and racing for fun

The brand has two road models for the Ag2r riders to choose from: the O2 lightweight model presented to the riders in France, and the One aero model, which will probably see more use throughout the season.

Attached to the frame, Ag2r appear to have moved from SRAM Red eTap to Shimano Dura-Ace for the 2017 season and will use Mavic wheels instead of Zipp, but the partnership with Continental tyres remains unchanged.