It hasn't been an easy season for New Zealand native Niamh Fischer-Black, who suffered a series of crashes and an unfortunate team-car firefight at the Vuelta a Femina, but the 22-year-old's return to racing in the Tour de Suisse Women has changed all that.

On Tuesday's fourth stage, the SD Walks rider sprinted for the win, pulling more than 30 seconds clear of Fischer-Bleck teammate and overall Tour de Suisse women's winner Marlen Reusser and ahead of fellow breakaway rider Kasia Niewiadoma ( Canyon-SRAM) to win her first Women's WorldTour race.

"Winning feels great," Fischer-Black said excitedly. 'I finally got to put my hand up for myself. This is what life is all about as a cyclist."

"My season has been difficult with a lot of bad luck and crashes, but I am a stubborn person. One day it was going to work out. The team kept believing in me. I am more than happy with this victory."

Reusser, the U23 women's road world champion, who had been out of the race since her fall while leading the mountains on stage 3 of Iturria Women, followed Nieuwadoma into the breakaway with over 50km to go, protecting her race leader teammate, Reusser. She did her part to protect race leader and teammate Reusser.

"She [Nieuwadema] rode as hard as she could. I didn't help her because the team instructions said that Demi Volering and Marlen Reusser were still behind her, so I didn't help her. In our tactical discussions, we decided to focus on the overall win, so I wasn't immediately concerned about the stage win."

"I was very fast, especially early in Cassia's attack, but I knew I had to follow her. When I heard on my earpiece that Marlen had closed the gap and won the yellow jersey, I was really motivated"

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The team decision, which meant that the New Zealand rider would not work at the front of the breakaway for the overall and assist Niwiadoma, also worked in Fischer-Black's favor.

"A great opportunity came up. Team manager Danny Stam encouraged me over the radio." Over the radio, team manager Danny Stam encouraged me. It was such a strong team performance, we had to finish."

"It was such a strong team performance, we had to finish.

"Of course, I always doubt myself for a second because I had never been in this situation so many times before. But I rallied myself. After all, I could save a lot more energy than Cassia. So I had to beat her."

Nienyadoma tried to pick up the pace in the last 200 meters, getting out of the saddle and attempting a sprint, but the fresh Fischer-Black quickly responded and took the win in Ebnat Kappel.

"It was a perfect day," Fischer-Black said as his team took the stage win and overall victory.

While it was a perfect day, it could also be a turning point in the season for Fischer-Black.

She has won the final stage in 2020, second in 2020, and the youth class in 2021 and 2022, as well as ninth and fifth overall.