Multidisciplinary cycling now reigns supreme in today's cycling world, but in our sport, road racing remains the flagship discipline of the two-wheeled world. However, this is not the case everywhere in the world, as demonstrated by the New Zealand national team competing at the 2026 World Championships road race in Montreal.

Once again this year, as has happened in previous editions, the athletes selected for the World Road Championships must personally bear the costs of their trip. The federation concentrates its resources primarily on track cycling activities. Finn Fisher-Black explained the particular situation to Cyclingnews, detailing the difficulties related to New Zealand's participation in the Canadian event.

«It's a unique dynamic for New Zealand. We don't receive any funding from the federation, so we have to personally pay all the expenses to be able to participate» explained the Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe rider.

A situation that can also create some tactical difficulties, since each athlete might be inclined to focus more on their own performance. However, Fisher-Black emphasized that the relationship between the national team riders remains very strong: the goal will therefore be to collaborate during the race, trying to reach the decisive phases with multiple New Zealand representatives and only then decide how to set their strategy.