Team Sky endured a difficult day at the Clasica de Almeria after a virus ripped through the squad.

Thomas Löfkvist and Steven Cummings were our only riders to finish the race in southern Spain after Greg Henderson, Simon Gerrans, Serge Pauwels and Kjell Carlström were all forced to withdraw before the action reached its conclusion.

Henderson's early exit at a feed station was especially hard to watch as the New Zealander had won the event with a storming display last season.

Löfkvist and Cummings both ended the day 41 seconds behind eventual winner Theo Bos (Cervélo), who narrowly pipped HTC-Columbia's Mark Cavendish to the line in a hotly-contested sprint finish.

Team Sky's day had already started badly with the news Nicolas Portal would miss the race due to air traffic control strikes in his native France.

When the action did begin though, four riders including Sergio Carrasco (Andalucia), Gonzalo Rabuñal (Xacobeo), Michal Golas (Vacansoleil) and Xabier Zabala (Orbea) broke free after just 25km and were quickly allowed to build up a lead of almost seven minutes.

HTC-Columbia eventually responded at the head of the chase, and with the help of Rabobank, the quartet were eventually hauled back after 125km.

The peloton briefly split in two but came back together in time for the blistering sprint finish which Bos rounded off brilliantly.

Ivan Gutierrez (Caisse d'Epargne) took the sprint jersey while a solid climbing display from Golas earned him the King of the Mountains crown.