Globe Riders: the New Zealand Fisher-Black siblings in Europe

Our Globe Riders series focuses on two young New Zealand cyclists who are making names for themselves on the international stage: Niamh and Finn Fisher-Black.

Niamh Fisher-Black is the first-ever UCI World Champion in the Women Under-23 road race, a title she won at the UCI Road World Championships in Wollongong, Australia, last September. The SD Worx rider’s title came after a sterling year which saw her finish 5th overall in the Giro d’Italia Donne and claim the Best Young Rider’s jersey. Last week, her little brother Finn (UAE Team Emirates) stormed to his first professional win on the opening stage of the Giro di Sicilia (Class 2.1), eventually finishing fourth and topping the Best Young Rider’s classification

Only sixteen months separate Niamh (22) and Finn (21) Fisher-Black, who have both established their European bases in Girona, Spain. Indeed, much of their cycling careers have been conducted in duo, so much so that when they were younger they were sometimes mistaken for twins.

Sibling rivalry

They started cycling on matching mountain bikes, and their first races were on a 500m concrete track that encircled a rugby pitch in their hometown Nelson, at the top of New Zealand’s South Island. Finn was the first to enter a race at the local club, as his big sister still clearly remembers:

“I was a bit too scared to enter so I watched but then I was jealous because he got a medal or something, so I said `I’m going to do it next week´.”

And there was no looking back, as the Women Under 23 UCI World Champion explains: “Competition can be quite addictive, and we found we could be quite competitive with one another. I remember wanting to get this medal before him or beat him in this race. That’s pretty much what motivated us.”

Her brother concurs: “There was quite a competitive spirit between us so anything she did, I would want to do better. It was great because we would really push each other along trying to be better than each other.”

Although Niamh, who was faster than her brother for a short time, does not have good memories of the period when he began getting the better of her (“It was really frustrating, I hated my brother beating me relentlessly”), they learnt from an early age that by working together in a race they could get the better of fellow clubmates. Today, their childhood rivalry has developed into mutual respect and support.

Mutual admiration

“I think I’ve always admired my little brother,” says Niamh. “Maybe I got my first big international road title before him, but when we were younger, I was always chasing him. I always ask him advice. He’s the one who’s good at winning races. He also comes to me and asks questions, so it’s beneficial on both sides.

“And at the end of the day, we’re both a long way from home. If I’m finding things hard, or if I’m homesick, I know he knows the feeling. It’s nice to have someone to relate with on that level, someone so close that I get on with really well.”

Niamh and Finn follow each other’s careers closely and are proud when the other tastes success.

Finn says of her sister: “She’s really one for the hard days and back-to-back racing. You can see in her results already how she’s progressing in the week-long stage races, and although she’s a smaller rider she packs a punch so is much more than just a climber.”

Niamh is equally impressed by her brother: “He’s good at everything. I’ve seen him win in so many different ways. He’s an admirable athlete. I always watch him racing if I can, if I’m not out on my bike.”

Career highlights and looking to the future

One memorable moment in their still young cycling careers was in 2020 when they both won the New Zealand National Championships in the road race: Under 23 for Finn and Elite and Under 23 for Niamh.

“That was pretty special,” says Finn. “I remember crossing the line and hearing Niamh had just won too. We were both in our first year racing in Europe in UCI Continental Teams so it was pretty cool to both be able to take over the national jersey for the year.”

Having said that, his career highlight so far is on the track, breaking the Junior individual pursuit world record at the New Zealand Championships in Cambridge in 2019: “It was just such an unexpected day. Waking up that morning, I never thought I’d go to sleep that night with a world record! It was also the result that really started my career as just a month later I was on a plane to race in Europe.”

Forced to take a long time off racing last year as he recovered from a broken leg, Finn Fisher-Black certainly showed he’s race ready with his win in Sicily last week: “The team was really supportive during my time out last year which made me even more eager to get back racing at the start of this season. We have planned to ease into the racing again so I can become comfortable in the bunch again and then really start to ramp it up towards my main goals which will come during the thicker part of the season.” 

His sister, meanwhile, will continue to build on her first two successful years with SD Worx. Even in her first year with the team in 2021, she was given more opportunities than she would have dreamed of, resulting in her wearing the leader’s jersey at the UCI Women’s WorldTour event, the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas: “I never really expected so much from that year. I found myself racing with Anna (van der Breggen) but also getting my own opportunities, getting to wear the leader’s jersey.

“And of course last year… it’s not often in a career someone can pull on the rainbow jersey, so that was pretty awesome. Also getting my own opportunity in the Giro. It was something I’d never experienced before. Executing with pressure opened up my eyes to a whole new part of the sport. I definitely like that pressure!”

Currently racing the Ardennes Classics, Niamh has her eyes set on the Grands Tours for 2023: “I’d like to see if I can step up to another level this year. I really like stage racing. It suits me as a rider, racing day after day. That’s the strange thing about cyclists, we like suffering!”