Steve Cummings was an excellent fourth on Sunday in the GP Cycliste la Marseillaise, the race which marked Team Sky's European debut.

The 28-year-old Briton put his experience of riding in the Marseille event, France's traditional season-opening race, to good use as he worked his way into a 10-man group which moved to the head of affairs on the final climb.

The 139.7km route saw a number of breakaways but came down to a sprint between the lead group.

It was France's Jonathan Hivert of Saur Sojasun who took the victory. He finished ahead of Dutchman Johnny Hoogerland of Vacansoleil and compatriot Samuel Dumoulin (Cofidis).

Team Sky's other six riders all finished in the main bunch, 11 seconds behind. Michael Barry was 39th, Morris Possoni 51st, Nicolas Portal 56th, John-Lee Augustyn 57th, Sylvain Calzati 65th and Peter Kennaugh came home in 85th place on his pro debut.

The same seven-man squad now move on to the five-day Etoile de Bessèges which starts on Wednesday.

And Cummings goes there in good heart after such a prominent showing on his debut in Team Sky colours.

Attacking intent

He told us: "Of course I'd have liked to have won but it was a pretty good start. There were plenty of attacks going on, especially from the second-last climb, and I was able to respond. I felt really strong throughout the race."

Cummings' display was all the more impressive as he'd been battling an infection in the build-up to the race, but he insisted that's part and parcel of life as a pro cyclist.

"That's just something you have to deal with now and then," he explained. "I feel like I'm at a good level all year round now and that enables me to recover quickly and take it in my stride."

Looking ahead to Bessèges, Cummings predicts another good showing from the team, adding: "There's just a really good vibe around the squad, we're all looking out for each other and it's excellent to be part of that."

Role reversal

That was echoed by Marcus Ljungqvist who was making his debut as a sports director after 12 years as a professional cyclist.

"I was a little bit nervous beforehand," said Ljungqvist. "But we've got such a good team behind us and a great bunch of riders who are so easy to talk to and that makes things a whole lot easier.

"Team Sky got off to a great start in Australia [at the Tour Down Under] and I think we did pretty well here on our debut in Europe."

As to his own role, he admits it will take a bit of time adjusting to being in the team car rather than out on a bike, adding: "It feels so different and I'm sure it will take a little while before I get used to it. But it's important to find your own style and do things your way."