Yesterday Team MTN Qhubeka p/b Samsung secured its first podium placing in its first WorldTour start.

The German team captain, Gerald Ciolek, sprinted to third place in the second stage of the Italian race Tirreno-Adriatico on Thursday. The only riders faster than him after 232 km from San Vincenzo to Indicatore were stage winner Matthew Goss (Orica-GreenEDGE) and Manuel Belleti (AG2R).

Ciolek's Italian teammate, Kristian Sbaragli, made the South African team's accomplishments complete with an eighth place finish, giving the team two riders in the top ten on a rain-filled day.

“That was the perfect start in our first WorldTour race,” Ciolek rejoiced after the race. “We ride for a fantastic project to get African kids on bicycles. That is a great motivation for me and the team. I thank the whole team, which works very hard for our goal.“

“The guys prepared the sprint for Gerald really well. The best are at the start here, so this is the perfect beginning for such an important race,” said sports director Jens Zemke. “Our team worked hard for this result and Geralds's good results the last few races have shown us that he would be at the front.”

After two of seven stages, Mark Cavendish of Omega Pharma-QuickStep leads in the overall rankings ahead of his teammates Michael Kwiatkowski and Niki Terpstra.

Sprinter Ciolek will have another chance for a top stage finish on Friday in the next expected mass sprint. The third stage runs for 190 km from Indicatore to Narni Scalo.