After Visma and UAE, it's time for Fisher-Black to shine at Red Bull: "I have a kick not many others have"

We don’t have any definitive research to back it up, but Finn Fisher-Black might just be the first rider of this cycling era to race for three of the WorldTour's biggest teams. After stints at Visma | Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates, the time has come for him to represent Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. What do all these top teams see in the still-only-23-year-old New Zealander? IDLProCycling.com decided to find out and had a chat with the man himself!

"It’s a nice change, and I’m excited to be part of such a new project," Fisher-Black begins, reflecting on his unique career path. In 2019, as a 17-year-old talent, he joined the Dutch cycling club Willebrord Wil Vooruit before Visma | Lease a Bike brought him into their development team. By 2021, he had gradually started competing and showing himself at the highest level, prompting a high-profile transfer to UAE Team Emirates. They were willing to pay a hefty price for him.

At the time, Fisher-Black couldn’t have predicted that he was joining a team that, in the years to come, would attract one superstar after another. "I was still young when I switched from Visma to UAE. UAE was a completely different team back then. Not a super team like last season. I've never seen a team dominate like that," he admits. "It was crazy and amazing to be part of it. But four years ago, I couldn’t have predicted it turning out this way."

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Fisher-Black won in Oman

Broken femur cast Fisher-Black into anonymity

While Fisher-Black developed well and began winning races in 2023, his ambitions did not quite materialize. Stage victories in the Tour of Sicily, the Tour of Oman, the Tour of Asturias, and the Muscat Classic marked his progress, but that was the extent of his success. "I have no regrets. UAE Team Emirates took me in, even during tough times. They gave me a place to learn and grow, but now it’s time for a change to move forward."

Those "tough times" included breaking his femur during the Boucles de la Mayenne in May of 2022, which didn't help his standing within the super team. Fisher-Black never truly found his place, as evidenced by the fact that he only participated in one Grand Tour during his time there: the 2023 Vuelta a España. "I had 2.5 great years at UAE. They flew by. But I wanted to leave to get more out of myself."

"There are a few reasons for that," Fisher-Black begins his explanation. "Mainly because I was in a situation at UAE where I wasn’t progressing anymore. There’s so much talent on that team, which is mostly incredible to be part of. But to rediscover myself, I needed to do something different. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe immediately showed a lot of faith in me, which was really appealing."

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Fisher-Black gets opportunities at Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe

Why did Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe show interest? "They believe in what I can achieve. My dream races are the Tour Down Under, the Ardennes Classics, and Grand Tours to aim for stage wins," he says. "I haven’t really had the chance to race for myself, especially in the spring. I sometimes rode for Tadej (Pogacar, ed.), but here, they believe I can achieve something myself. That’s reflected in my schedule, which includes the Tour Down Under, the Ardennes, and a Grand Tour where I’ll have either a co-leader role or full leadership."

This aligns perfectly with Fisher-Black’s ambitions, as he continues to dream of achieving great things. "The biggest races are what motivate me. After a good start at UAE, I felt I deserved a shot at those races, but the team and I agreed that I’d focus on smaller races in order to win more. I kind of lost my hunger for those events and wanted more, but in the big races, I was only riding in support of others. That said, I have nothing bad to say about UAE. That role made sense, and I also enjoyed helping the other guys. Riding for Pogacar, for instance, taught me a lot. But it’s the drive within me that led me to switch teams."

The fact that another major team has come knocking after Visma | Lease a Bike and UAE Team Emirates is, of course, a huge compliment. "It’s hard for me to talk about myself, but all these teams probably see potential that hasn’t fully been realized yet. As a scout, you look at big teams, at riders who aren’t necessarily underappreciated but perhaps not utilized enough. There’s more to them, and maybe that’s the case here. That they see I can still level up. Hopefully, I’ll be able to show that here."

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For a role like Hirschi's, it's now or never

"We’ve already seen glimpses of what I can do, how I can win in punchy finishes," Fisher-Black explains. "I have a kick not many others have. If I keep working on that, it could be a decisive factor in winning more races. There are plenty of races suited to riders like me, such as the Ardennes or certain stages in Grand Tours. I think we now know that I’m not a general classification rider. That doesn't really suit me. A role like Marc Hirschi’s? Yes, exactly. He’s definitely someone I have a lot in common with as a rider."

In 2025, Fisher-Black hopes to compete in a Grand Tour, but he doesn't yet know which one. He dreams of the Vuelta. In the spring, he’ll lead Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe in the Ardennes, alongside Maxim Van Gils. Is his move to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe a case of 'third time's a charm'? The German team also has high ambitions. Is there a risk of another flood of star riders? "That’s certainly possible, but I’m now at a point in my career where I know how it works. When I joined UAE, everything about the WorldTour was so new to me. I was constantly playing catch-up. If your first year isn’t immediately good, the next year new, young guys come in. At Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, I’m coming in with experience and the confidence that I can start strong right away. With each year that this team grows, I will grow too. That’s how I will find my place in the team."

Fisher-Black is clear about what he wants: "If I’m not where I want to be in three years, it may never happen. That would mean I’m just not good enough. But now, I have the chance to grow with this team. It’s still in its early stages. Hopefully, I can become one of the faces of the team's growth."

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With more endurance, Fisher-Black wants to win finals

Fisher-Black knows exactly what he needs to do to win more races. "The biggest thing I need to work on is my endurance. I have to be able to keep racing effectively, even after 200 kilometers. That’s something we haven’t focused enough on in training over the past few years. It’s no secret that I have the power, but I also need to have it after six hours of racing. Building more stamina doesn’t necessarily have to come at the expense of my punch. I’m going to work hard on this over the next six months, and hopefully, we’ll see the results next year."

At the training camp in Mallorca, he immediately noticed the effects. "Last week, I completed my biggest training week since my time at UAE. It’s crazy that I’m doing that with a new coach in just my third week with this team. Hopefully, it will pay off. For UAE, this way of training clearly works for them, but for me and my ambitions, I think a new approach is the right move."

Will UAE regret not giving him more opportunities? "I’ve sometimes sat at home thinking that I could do what the guys on TV were doing. It’s sometimes hard to ride for someone else when you know you can also win. And I’m not even talking about Tadej, but about some of the smaller races. I think I have the numbers, but it’s also about being in the right race at the right time and having the confidence from the team that you’re the right man to go for it."

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