Unveiling the Pro Bike: Marit Raaijmakers' Factor One and Ostro VAM Combo
The 2025 racing season was a challenging one for Human Powered Health, with the team securing only a national championships title and a single UCI-level win. But 2026 has started positively, with Nina Buijsman claiming a sixth-place finish on general classification at the Women's Tour Down Under, supported by Marit Raaijmakers, who is entering her fifth season with the team.
Raaijmakers began to show her stage-racing potential in 2025 at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya Femení, finishing inside the top 10 on two of the race's three stages and ending the event 15th overall on GC. At the Tour Down Under, Raaijmakers had two bikes at her disposal, with the Ostro VAM complementing the One. While the One is unapologetically aero-focused, the Ostro VAM came into play on stage three, where the double ascent of the Corkscrew Road climb made an all-rounder the more natural choice.
Factor's new One aero bike has been described as unconventional, with its wide-set fork legs drawing comparisons to the Hope/Lotus HB.1 track bike used by the Team GB squad. But is it a case of be careful what you wish for?
Factor is making the bike I've long wanted, but is it a case of be careful what you wish for? While equipment changes across both the men's and women's pelotons have been relatively minor since 2025, Human Powered Health does have access to a new bike from long-standing sponsor Factor, in the form of the One aero bike. Although the One was first spotted in competition at the Critérium du Dauphiné last June, it was not officially launched until December. As with most new aero bike releases, Factor claims it to be the fastest and most aerodynamically sophisticated bike available. While that assertion remains open to debate, the One arguably claims the crown for the most unconventional design, with its wide-set fork legs drawing comparisons to the Hope/Lotus HB.1 track bike used by the Team GB squad.
To see all of the bikes of the Women's WorldTour, make sure to check out our Bikes of the Women's WorldTour gallery. Did we do a good job with this story? Tech, Pro Bike, Tour Down Under, Factor, Human Powered Health
