Michael Barry says Team Sky can take plenty of positives out of Saturday's pivotal fourth stage of the Etoile de Bessèges.

There was a dramatic finish in Ales, with Arnaud Molmy promoted to first after Samuel Dumoulin was relegated for cutting the course in the final kilometre.

The testing 140km circular route saw numerous attacks, with John-Lee Augustyn, Nicolas Portal and Barry himself all to the fore for Team Sky.

And Barry told us: "The team was active from the start and we rode according to plan although we were hoping the race would have been more selective and Steve [Cummings] could have tried to jump away in the finale.

"Overall, I think we can be happy with the race as John-Lee was represented in the major, and most threatening break of the day, and the rest of the team was upfront and rode as a unit. The peloton attacked the course and climbs and the pace was relentlessly fast all day."

And Barry feels the exertions in southern France will stand the riders in good stead heading into the new season, adding: "As a team we were able to test our legs on some hard climbs and the team was present at the hardest moments.

Stepping stone

"This race has provided a nice stepping stone for us and we have learned about each other and are quickly becoming a team."

Barry also revealed that he's back on track after a minor hiccup, explaining: "After being sick with a stomach bug and fever two days ago I was happy with my fitness today and I think I have recovered reasonably well."

And while another sprint finish looks on the cards in Sunday's final stage, Barry is happy with the week as a whole, saying: "This has been a good race for us overall. The last two days were fast and reasonably hard which is exactly what we need to bond as a team and build our fitness."