Kiwi cyclist George Bennett has finished seventh on stage nine of the Giro d'Italia on Monday morning (NZ time).
Bennett crossed the line 12 seconds behind stage winner and pink jersey holder Simon Yates on the 225km mountain stage.
The seventh-place finish saw the LottoNLJumbo rider jump from 10th to seventh to sit 1m 33s behind Yates in the general classification.
"I wanted to go for the win, but the other guys were better today," said Bennett said after the race.
"It was a very hard last climb. It felt like we were climbing for two hours due to the crosswind, the altitude and lots of other things to deal with.
"It wasn't my best day. I wasn't feeling that sharp, but I still felt good compared to everyone else.
"It's stage nine today and nobody feels that good anymore."
While Bennett was slightly disappointed with his efforts, he won't be as frustrated as Tour de France winner Chris Froome, who fell out of the top 10, after losing 67 seconds on the stage.
The riders will enjoy a rest day tomorrow, before the race resumes on Tuesday night (NZ time) for stage 10 - a hilly 239km route from Penne to Gualdo Tadino.
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