Back to Blog

Niamh Fisher-Black creates history with cycling world road race podium

New Zealand professional Niamh Fisher-Black made cycling history in finishing second in the elite women’s road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda today.The diminutive 25-year-old from Nelson has become the first New Zealand rider, female, or male, to podium in the elite road race at the UCI World Championships.The 2022 UCI Junior Road World Champion produced a brilliant and courageous performance in the elite women’s road race, staged over a...

Christchurch rider “surprises himself” with world championship cycling medal

Christchurch rider capped off a remarkable few months with a silver medal in the men’s under-23 time trial at the UCI Road Cycling World Championships in Rwanda today.The 21-year-old surprised himself, clocking 39:28.29 for the 31km distance in Kigali, to finish 1:03 behind winner Jakob Soderqvist of Sweden, in his first world championship.Pringle, who won the under-23 time trial at the national championships this year, only picked up a professional contract in April to join the Red Bull-Bora-...

Greenough runner-up after UCI BMX Racing World Cup series

Cambridge teenager Lily Greenough completed an outstanding debut season in under-23 UCI BMX Racing with a podium finish for the season-long championship that was finalised in Argentina today.Greenough, who won the junior women’s world title in Denmark last month, refocussed after a break in international racing, to finish runner-up in the season-long championship following the final double-round at Santiago Del Estero today.The 17-year-old ventured into the under-23 division for the first time...

Sixth-placed Maxwell retains her weighty UCI MTB World Series lead

New Zealand’s Samara Maxwell had to settle for sixth place but still maintains a significant lead after the final European leg of the UCI MTB Cross-country World Series in Switzerland.The Decathlon Ford rider finished in sixth place, 1m32s behind winner Alessandra Keller (SUI) who prevailed by 16 seconds from world champion Jenny Rissveds (SWE) with Maxwell’s teammate Savilia Blunk (USA) third.After placing fifth in the short-track race earlier in the week at Lenzerheide, Maxwell fought hard...

Stevens-McNab leads triple kiwi podiums at Swiss UCI MTB World Cup

Rotorua mountain biker Lachlan Stevens-McNab grabbed his first elite podium of the season placing third in the men’s downhill final at Lenzerheide, Switzerland.The Trek Factory rider was outstanding down the tight, dry course which forms the largest bike area in Switzerland, at the final European round of the UCI MTB World Series, ahead of the concluding two rounds in USA and Canada.Stevens-McNab, 21, moves into the top-10 in the elite men’s standings on a strong day of performances for kiwi...

Mountain bike and BMX Racing chase UCI World Series podiums

Twenty-five New Zealand riders in mountain bike and BMX Racing face crunch competitions around the globe this weekend.Following on from the successful world championships, the UCI MTB World Series remains in Switzerland for the final European round for cross-country and downhill ahead of deciding rounds in North America.Likewise leading kiwi BMX Racing competitors are in Santiago del Estero, Argentina for the final double-round of the UCI World Series for all grades for 2025.Mountain bike eyes f...

Gutsy Gaze produces eye-catching ride in elite men’s cross-country

2025 UCI MTB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 11 Cambridge professional Sam Gaze produced remarkable ride to pass more than 50 riders to 12th place in the elite men’s cross-country on the final day of the UCI MTB World Championships in Switzerland.After an indifferent season, the Commonwealth Games champion was ranked to start in 67th spot near the rear of the field for the exhausting nine-lap race at Crans Montana.He climbed his way through the field with an extraordinary display to fin...

Mighty Maxwell secures silver medal in elite women’s cross-country

Outstanding 23-year-old Sammie Maxwell has fought her way to the silver medal in the elite women’s cross-country race at the UCI MTB World Championships in Switzerland today.In only her second time in elite world championship company, Maxwell raced with equal measures of flair and fortitude to climb up to second, finishing 18 seconds behind Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds on the demanding course in Crans Montana.Maxwell was the under-23 world champion in 2023 and 11th in her elite debut last ye...

Kiwi Junior riders produce strong results in cross-country

2025 UCI MTB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 9 New Zealand junior cross-country mountain bikers produced some strong performances in blistering fast races at the UCI MTB World Championships in Crans Montana, Switzerland today.Christchurch teenager Millie Junge led the New Zealand riders in 23rd place in the junior women’s race, moving thought he packed field to emerge as the leading Oceania rider.“I was super-happy. It was one of my best races and the vibes were awesome,” said the Cashmere Hi...

New Zealand mountain bikers seventh in XCO team relay

2025 UCI MTB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 8 The New Zealand mixed relay team has finished seventh at the UCI MTB World Championships in Crans Montana, Switzerland.It is the first time New Zealand has fielded a team in the mixed relay in recent memory, with a rider from each grade completed the short course lap comprising junior, under-23 and elite male and female.France won from Italy and Switzerland with New Zealand the first nation outside of Europe and North America to finish. The team compri...

Maxwell, Gaze encouraged by short-track efforts at world championships

New Zealand mountain bikers Samara Maxwell and Sam Gaze were both encouraged with their fifth placings in today’s short track cross-country race at the UCI MTB World Championships in Switzerland.Both riders were pleased with their form from today, looking ahead to the world championship race at the weekend.Gaze, who won the short course world championship race in 2022 and 2023, was strong throughout over the nine-lap course in Zermatt, in the shadow of the Matterhorn.He was prominent throughou...

Cycling New Zealand names world championship teams to South America

Cycling New Zealand has named both Track and Para-cycling Track teams for respective upcoming UCI World Championships in South America.An exciting five-strong team, led by Paris Paralympic medallist Nicole Murray, has been named for the 2025 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 16-19 October.The following week, Olympic double gold medallist Ellesse Andrews will head a 12-strong New Zealand team for the UCI Track World Championships in Santiago, Chile on 22-26 O...

Flat tyre deflates Kiwi downhill chances at UCI MTB World Championships

The fine weather led to some extraordinarily daring performances in the elite downhill finals that the New Zealand riders could not quite match at the UCI MTB World Championships in Champéry, Switzerland.Austria’s Valentina Holl made it four titles in a row in the elite women while the ultra-talented 21-year-old Canadian, Jackson Goldstone rode with daring to claim his first elite men’s crown.The dry conditions enabled riders to hurtle down the rutted and iconic course on the absolute edge ...

Medals for kiwi downhill MTB pair in world championship finals

2025 UCI MTB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 5Tauranga’s Eliana Hulsebosch and Hawkes Bay rider Tyler Waite both won silver medals in the junior downhill finals on day five of the UCI MTB World Championships in Switzerland.The pair of 18-year-olds both overcame a slippery and challenging downhill track to earn podium placings on Champéry today.Hulsebosch, second fastest qualifier, pushed hard in her run down the testing 1.72km track, which started at 1650m and twisted its way down a 560m decent throu...

Seven kiwi MTB riders through to junior gravity finals

2025 UCI MTB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 4 Seven New Zealand junior riders have qualified for tomorrow’s final in downhill in Champéry on day four of the UCI MTB World Championships in Switzerland.In-form Tauranga professional Eliana Hulsebosch was second fastest in qualifying for junior women, just 2.5s behind leader Rosa Zierl (AUT). She is joined by Rotorua’s Bellah Birchall (Team High Country) who recovered sufficiently from injury to qualify 18th fastest.Palmerston North rider Jo...

Champéry course conjures up daunting downhill test

2025 UCI MTB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 3 PREVIEWGravity riders are set for one of the toughest tests of skill and daring at the UCI MTB World Championships when the downhill racing begins tomorrow in Switzerland.Riders face the renowned testing terrain of the downhill track in Champéry, near Valais on the border with France.The infamous downhill track for the world championships is known for its extremely demanding technical features, made more challenging with new lines and the prospect of some ...

CNZ acknowledges immense contribution by Steve Stannard

Cycling New Zealand acknowledges Steve Stannard’s immense and passionate contribution to cycling at all levels and offers heartfelt sympathy to Steve’s family and friends on his recent passing.Cycling New Zealand recognises the significant contribution to the sport by Steve, who passed away recently after a lengthy battle with cancer.A professor, Steve moved to New Zealand to establish the school of sport and exercise science at Massey University over 20 years ago. He was a passionate and su...

Nelson enduro rider new UCI World Champion

2025 UCI MTB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 2 WRAPNelson rider George Swift set the New Zealand team abuzz, becoming the elite women’s E-Enduro World Champion in the first event of the 2025 UCI MTB World Championships in Switzerland today.With impending inclement weather, organisers rejigged the competition with a major stage completed yesterday, and the competition completed today in the mountains of Valise near the Italian border.The 27-year-old Yeti-Fox Factory Team rider was 1.91s down on leader ...

Maxwell grabs seventh straight podium in UCI MTB World Series

Taupo’s Sammie Maxwell worked hard for an important podium placing to maintain her overall lead after round seven of the UCI MTB cross-country world series in France.The Decathlon Ford professional finished third behind Sweden’s Jenny Rissveds and Swiss star Alessandra Keller at Les Gets in the Haute Savoie region.It was the seventh straight podium finish for Maxwell comprising two wins, three second-placings and two third-placings. Her lead is now 435 points clear of Rissveds in the overall...

Kiwi Para-cyclists wrap-up positive road world campaign

Paris medallist Nicole Murray wrapped up the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships with a fourth placing in the road race in Belgium today.On an uncompromising road circuit, the Waikato rider was among a four-strong group that pushed off the front in the women’s C5 road race over five laps, 77kms in Ronse.Murray was with the group for much of the race, but gradually the stronger riders eased up the road with Australia’s Alana Forster claiming the gold medal in 2:08.04. She finished 38 se...

Kiwi enduro riders make early campaign start

2025 UCI MTB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 1 WRAPThe kiwi enduro riders got the New Zealand campaign underway in the 2025 UCI MTB World Championships in Switzerland today.The two-week campaign is based in and around Valise in Switzerland, near the Italian border, for the championships comprising several MTB disciplines including downhill, enduro, cross-country, marathon and pump.With severe weather forecast for the region, as witnessed at the MTB World Cup in near-by Les Gets in France at the weekend,...

New Zealand Para-cyclist improves but wants more

US-based kiwi hand-cyclist, Rory Mead finished in a solo fourth placing in the men’s H2 road race at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Ronse, Belgium today.The result mirrors his fourth-placed performance in the time trial earlier in the championships, finishing 8:58 down on the podium trio led by Paris Paralympic gold medallist Florian Jouanny. He cleared out to win from defending champion Garrote Munoz (ESP) and Luca Massone (ITA).While Mead has upped his training regime and m...

Waite leads way for kiwi MTB gravity riders in mud in France

New Zealand mountain bikers faced a sodden and muddy course for downhill finals at the UCI MTB World Cup in Les Gets, France.Like many, the kiwi gravity riders did not fare well on the treacherous track, especially the junior riders earlier on the day, forced to cope with low visibility and mud.Best was Hawkes Bay teenager Tyler Waite, who finished third in the junior men’s final. The Yeti-Fox Factory rider set the benchmark, off early in the final after struggling yesterday in qualifying.His ...

Podium delights Murray in UCI World Para-cycling time trial

Waikato’s Nicole Murray manoeuvred her way over wet roads and cobbles to claim the bronze medal in the women’s C5 time trial on day two of the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Belgium.The Paris Olympic track medallist finished the 23.2km time trial over a wet course in Ronse just over two minutes behind Australian winner Alana Forster and only 14 seconds behind second placed Mogan Newberry (GBR).It was Murray’s first road world championship medal in three years, averaging 42kph...

Kiwi mountain bikers stand out in brutal World Series test

New Zealand mountain bikers faced tough conditions on the first day of competition at the penultimate European rounds of the UCI MTB World Cup in Les Gets, France.The rain earlier in the seek eased but added to a brutal course for downhill qualifying and a slippery surface for short track cross-country riders at the resort town in the Haute Savoie region.The kiwi gravity riders showed their fortitude in the demanding conditions with 10 riders through to tomorrow’s grand finals.Leading the way ...