Two pros from New Zealand will reunite at Red Bull - BORA after growing up racing together: "We've probably known each other since we were 13 or 14"
Cycling
The off-season has turned out to be very positive for Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe. The German team has made several high-profile signings. Two of them were Laurence Pithie and Finn Fisher-Black.
What connects the duo? They grew up racing together in New Zealand, and now they're reunited for the first time thanks to Red Bull - BORA. "We've probably known each other since we were 13 or 14," Fisher-Black told Cyclingnews. "We were always competitive on the bike, always friends when we got off," Pithie added.
The first race they will race as teammates in the Red Bull jersey will be the Tour Down Under in January. The former Groupama - FDJ and UAE Team Emirates riders will have a golden opportunity to shine in the first WorldTour-level race of the 2025 season.
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Plans for 2025
If the two riders are to be compared, Laurence Pithie has more to look forward to in 2025 following his move to Red Bull - BORA. His year will revolve around the spring classics.
"I'll start at the [Tour] Down Under. Then I'll do the Surf Coast Classic and the Cadel Classic to try to defend the title there," said Pithie, for whom the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race was a first WorldTour victory last January. "Then I'll do the national championships. Afterwards I'll go back to Europe to do Milano-Sanremo and all the Flemish classics."
As for Finn Fisher-Black, his goals are clear: "In the first part of the season I'll go to the Tour Down Under and the Ardennes. After that, the Itzulia and Romandie, and then I'll be in a grand tour in the second half of the year. Whether it's the Tour or the Vuelta, it's not confirmed yet, but hopefully we'll be in one of them."
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Mmmm would he be making these comments when he was on the richest team when riding. I think not i suspect. If we want money put into the sport we need sponsors who are prepared to put the money in. No disrespect but his team are 2nd or 3rd div in football terms with riders over the hill or 2nd string riders. If i was a sponsor i would be looking at what publicity am i getting back and Tudor really are just making up the numbers really.paultryan200214-11-2026
- I see (elsewhere) that Alaphilippe had more to say than what got relayed in this stub. Me: he was very good early but his latter third trajectory was the pits. His old boss did what he could (huffed and puffed) but Julian couldn't get his greatness back. Sometimes I wonder if crashes that didn't look like much changed the course of the rider.flyer14-11-2026
- I wouldn't classify it as a gift because the nasty consequences of taking it from Sepp would have been great and would persist and he knew it.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. Tratnik's good and Red Bull's better so Tratnik may get what he wants.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. So just saying he wasn't enjoying racing anymore is some kind of explanation? Me saying I don't enjoy his explanation is more explaining than he did.flyer14-11-2026
- Buitrago, was he their best rider in 2026? He's the chief loss for them and Martinez and Tiberi (especially) have to step up or they will be overtaken by Bahrain's younger riders like Omrzel. I'm still somewhat high on Martinez but Tiberi, after showing signs of promise, has fizzled. Bahrain still has a good team but they need to improve and exceed expectations. I'd be happy if Mohoric could manage to return to his better form for maybe one last year at least.flyer14-11-2026
- Hmmm, "... I just gained 30 seconds purely off the bike. Because it's really a big, big improvement compared to the previous bike". Is that marketing for Specialized or serious valid hype, or something in between? Very likely the former.flyer14-11-2026
- Nothing revelatory or controversial. Why do we have to report on Bruyneel's or Armstrong's thinking. It's a shame and enough that the Move's on TV and that people watch it .flyer14-11-2026
- Makes sense that training from home is a big asset or advantage but it's still remarkable that he can put in three quality majors and not pay some heavy price for the exertion. I wish he would have won that tour stage that his crash while leading allowed Carapaz the win. He's a darn good rider and teammate.flyer14-11-2026
- Sounds like we all agree with the over under exaggeration: "The German’s signing does not guarantee that Evenepoel will win the Tour in 2027. "flyer14-11-2026
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