Top Kiwi road cyclist George Bennett has finished a challenging Tour of the Alps with another runner-up stage finish.
Bennett was pipped to the line for the second time in two days in Austria when Ukrainian Mark Padun broke clear to claim the fifth and final stage.
It mirrored the conclusion of the fourth stage 24 hours earlier, when Bennett was piped near the line by Spaniard Luis Leon Sanchez.
Overall, the man from Nelson finished up placing fifth overall on the tour one minute behind overall winner Thibaut Pinot.
It was a great finish to the week which started badly for the Nelson-born rider after he recovered from a collision with a car on the eve of the five ay tour.
Speaking to Newshub, Bennett talked about the rough week - not only for himself, but for cycling in general.
"It was a tough final day," he told Newshub. "I was the bridesmaid again, I was disappointed not to get it, but I couldn't do much about it today.
"At the beginning of the week, I didn't know what to expect after the crash.
"It has been a bad week for cycling with Alex Ray and then again yesterday Marco Haller, another professional was hit by a car. It is out of control at the moment.
"It is another reminder of how fragile cyclists are how insulated you are in a car and it is easy for someone to die."
Bennett admitted his crash did hurt him during the second stage of the race where he lost over a minute on an exhausting final climb.
"Overall it has been good, but not amazing.
"On the second day I had a bad day and I think that was due to the crash. They always say that two days after is worse and that is when your body starts reacting badly and the information comes out."
Bennett will now start preparing for the upcoming Giro d'Italia starting on May 4.
Newshub.
