Michael Barry is happy with the way Team Sky have begun the Etoile de Bessèges and is expecting the squad to grow in strength as the race progresses.

For the second successive day, all seven members of the team finished in the main peloton and were credited with the same time as stage winner Borut Bozic.

Barry has been impressed by the balance struck within the team and feels everyone coped admirably with the conditions.

He said of Thursday's stage: "Today went well for us. The course was hillier and the peloton raced more aggressively, but the boys were all up front at the right moments and we rode well as a team.

"Rain had been forecast but in the end it stayed dry and there was little wind. Overall, it was a nice day of racing and thankfully, we didn't have to suffer in the cold."

Tough start

Although the race has traditionally been used to ease riders into the new season, Barry insists the competition remains fierce as teams seek to assert their authority early in the campaign.

"As it is the start of the season the speeds aren't as high as they are in a month or so as the peloton isn't as fit," Barry explained.

"But that said, everybody is eager to show their faces early and race hard even though they may not have the strength to sustain the efforts.

"Every team is eager to win early as on some level it sets the tone for the season.

"For many teams these races are where they begin to lay their foundation for the bigger events later in the spring."

Earlier in the week Barry told us that the hillier stages should play to Team Sky's strengths and he underlined that point by saying: "Saturday's stage will likely decide the race."