Team Sky ended a terrible Ardennes campaign with another diastrous performance in today's Liege-Bastogne-Liege. With Chris Froome unable to start due to illness, the cataincy role fell onto the shoulders of Riche Porte but as the Australian was not on a good day, young Nathan Early ended up being the only rider from the team to finish the race.

Team Sky endured a difficult centenary edition of Liege-Bastogne-Liege as illness, fatigue and crashes caught up with the team.

The fourth Monument of the year saw Nathan Earle lead the line in his first attempt at the race, gaining great experience during a tough day for all.

The team began the event without Chris Froome after the Tour de France winner had to withdraw due to a mild chest infection, while Pete Kennaugh also missed out as a result of an unrelated illness.

David Lopez was forced out of the Monument after a crash with 76 kilometres to go, which also took down world champion Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida) as the pace rose.

"It was pretty tough out there but it was a really nice experience," said Earle following the race. "This has been one of my favourite races ever since I started cycling. It’s a bit of a dream come true just to ride it, let alone finish it. It was a tough day but I’m happy to be able to finish it for the team."

Froome will be back in action in the Tour de Romandie which starts on Tuesday.