Thursday 29 January 2015 17:47, UK
Elia Viviani marked his Team Sky debut by finishing second in the opening race of the Challenge Mallorca series as team-mate Ben Swift claimed seventh.
Viviani, who signed from Cannondale over the winter, finished behind winner Matteo Pelucchi but ahead of third-placed Jose Joaquin Rojas at the Trofeo Santanyi-Ses Salines-Campos.
Nacer Bouhanni, who was making his debut for Cofidis, crossed the line in fourth, while Andre Greipel was eighth.
Viviani told teamsky.com: “The team made a perfect lead-out. I’m sorry for everyone I couldn’t finish it off. Pelucchi came from behind and he started the sprint just before me. Once he had jumped I just didn’t have the speed to pull him back before the line. We’re happy because it was the first lead-out we’ve done together."
The race kicked off the four-day Challenge Mallorca, a series of one-day races on the Spanish island.
Friday’s race is the Trofeo Andratx-Mirador d'Es Colomer.
Result
1 Matteo Pelucchi (Ita) IAM Cycling
2 Elia Viviani (Ita) Team Sky
3 Jose Joaquin Rojas (Spa) Movistar
4 Nacer Bouhanni (Fra) Cofidis
5 Danny van Poppel (Ned) Trek Factory Racing
6 Raymond Kreder (Ned) Team Roompot
7 Ben Swift (GB) Team Sky
8 Andre Greipel (Ger) Lotto Soudal
9 Bryan Coquard (Fra) Europcar
10 Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-Argon
