Image 1 of 7 George Bennett and Robert Gesink after stage 20 at the Giro d'Italia (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 2 of 7 Overall winner George Bennett punches the air Image 3 of 7 LottoNL-Jumbo's George Bennett has had a hard day on stage 19 of the Giro, and later can't quite believe what Chris Froome has done (Image credit: Getty Images) Image 4 of 7 Peter Sagan and George Bennett (LottoNL-Jumbo) compare notes (Image credit: Tim de Waele/TDWSport.com) Image 5 of 7 George Bennett (LottoNL-Jumbo) (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 6 of 7 George Bennett climbs the Zoncolan at the 2018 Giro d'Italia (Image credit: Bettini Photo) Image 7 of 7 Antwan Tolhoek (LottoNl-Jumbo) leads a group to the line (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

Kiwi climber George Bennett has re-signed with WorldTour outfit LottoNL-Jumbo on a contract that will keep the 28-year-old at the Dutch team until at least the end of 2021.

Bennett, who hails from Nelson, finished eighth overall at the recent Giro d'Italia, and will be looking to continue to improve with the team he joined in 2015.

"I've come a long way as a cyclist since joining Team LottoNL-Jumbo," Bennett said on the team's website. "It's been a result of a lot of hard work from the staff and riders. The whole team has put a lot of faith in my abilities, and we share the same vision for the future."

Bennett, who won the 2017 Tour of California, is not at this year's Tour de France, but is set to ride the Vuelta a Espana in late August before mounting an all-out bid on next year's Tour.

"I'm excited about taking the next steps with the team and seeing how far I can go as a GC rider in the world's biggest races," he added. "I feel at home here and feel that I'm in the best place to get the most out of myself."

At the same time, LottoNL-Jumbo also announced a two-year contract extension for 24-year-old Antwan Tolhoek, who currently sits 87th overall at the Tour de France, where the Dutchman is riding in the service of Steven Kruijswijk and Primoz Roglic, and has been a constant presence at the front of the bunch during the opening week.

Tolhoek was one of three LottoNL-Jumbo riders sent home early from a training camp in Girona last December for using sleep medication that was unauthorised by the team.

"As a team, we're evolving, and I am too," Tolhoek said. "I'm perfectly happy here, and I’m showing that on the bike. I like the the staff and my teammates. That's important, too."