Peter Kennaugh is looking forward to learning the ropes when he makes his ProTour debut at the GP Cycliste la Marseillaise.

Kennaugh is the only neopro on the Team Sky roster, but has already shone in the amateur ranks, claiming third place in the 'Baby Giro' and fourth in the World Under-23 Championships last season.

Since the first team training camp in Valencia, the 20-year-old has been steadily building up his fitness from his base in Quarrata, Italy, and can't wait to hit the ground running on January 31.

He said: "For the first five days after the camp I was going out for two to three hours every morning, taking things really steadily in order to soak up the effects of the camp, but after that I upped my efforts to between four and five hours.

"I've ridden with Steve Cummings a lot because he only lives 200 metres away, and John-Lee Augustyn and Morris Possoni have also been down as well.

Cummings, Augustyn and Possoni will all be joining Kennaugh at both the Marseillaise and Etoile de Bessèges - which commences on February 3 - and Kennaugh has been bending Cummings' ear for any tips which will help him get up to speed.

"Steve has ridden both those races before and he was saying the Marseillaise often comes down to a sprint.

"As for the Etoile de Bessèges, there are a couple of tough days, but each stage is relatively short - around 130-140km - which is good for your first stage race. It is a good way to ease into the season."

Cav factor

Another rider who has been full of advice is fellow Manxman Mark Cavendish. Although the duo are vastly different riders, they have become close friends and Kennaugh has already sought his advice as learns to cope with life on the pro scene.

"When Mark's over in Italy we'll always meet up and I'll go out and ride with him. We did so the other day actually.

"I've talked to him quite a bit about when he first turned pro. I've had to get used to working with 25 other riders, as opposed to just eight, and he's always there to offer a bit of guidance."

Perfect platform

Kennaugh earned his spurs on the amateur racing scene in Italy and believes it provided him with the perfect platform on which to step up with the world's elite.

"Hopefully it should have prepared me very well for what is to come.

"The racing out there is pretty hard and flat-out, so in terms of tactics and how we are expected to ride it will be similar to the pro scene."