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Finn Fisher-Black, competing for Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe, placed second on stage 4 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, a result echoing the story of his season, where he has been close to victory multiple times. The New Zealand rider expressed his frustration, stating, "I'm trying not to think about how many times I've been second this year. It hurts a bit. But one day maybe, maybe..."
The 24-year-old showed his capabilities on the hilly stage, which featured category 2, 3, and 4 climbs, before a flat final 30 kilometers leading to a sloped finish. Fisher-Black indicated that he was keen on a bunch sprint but recognized that his best chance lay within a breakaway. After intense efforts, it took more than 60 kilometers to form the break group.
Upon establishing the break, Fisher-Black was positioned among the leading group of nine, which managed to stay ahead of the peloton, crossing the finish line just four seconds ahead. He recalled, "We were just chopping full the whole way. We knew we couldn't mess about at all, there just wasn't enough time... But, yeah, when it came to the sprint it was pretty hard to make my way through the gaps there."
Despite his efforts to chase down Quinn Simmons from Lidl-Trek, who ultimately won the stage, Fisher-Black fell short of securing victory yet again, marking his third runner-up position of the year at the WorldTour level. This season followed a series of near misses, even as he achieved a national time trial title and several podium finishes in 2024 and 2025.
Fisher-Black's history in the WorldTour has seen a steady climb in results since joining Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe from UAE Team Emirates, contributing to a more competitive schedule this year. Once again meeting the disappointment of finishing second, he is determined to continue pursuing his first WorldTour win.
Fonte: cyclingnews.com.