Chris Froome got safely through today's opening stage of the Volta a Catalunya but Sky lost their two-pronged GC attack when Richie Porte lost more than two minutes. The Australian was feeling completely empty and hopes to recover for the upcoming mountain stages.

Pre race favourite Chris Froome (Team Sky) had a trouble-free run during the opening stage at the Volta a Catalunya to finish untroubled inside the main pack.

The Brit finished safely as the opening day came down to a bunch sprint on the coast in Calella.

Team Sky had been active for much of the day, making sure to keep the Tour de France winner well-placed before hitting the front in the closing stages to pace the peloton up the final Alt del Collsacreu.

At the finish it was Luka Mezgec who claimed the stage thanks to a well-timed sprint.

While Froome negotiated the early challenges of the week long stage race without problems, his team mate Richie Porte fared less well, finishing 2:58 down on the lead group with the support of team-mates Danny Pate and Josh Edmondson after not feeling his best.

Sports Director Nicolas Portal told the Sky website: "Richie felt okay in training but today he felt a bit empty. We'll see how he goes day by day and if he begins to improve we're sure he will be able to play a role for himself and for Froomey. The team will keep a close eye on him.

"The guys rode well today. The situation was relatively easy with just two riders up the road. The final climb ended with 18km to go and it was quite a tricky descent. The main thing was to make sure there wasn't a gap in the bunch and to lose no time. Last year we saw a small crash on this descent and those riders could not come back.

"The team were on the front but we were not pulling to catch the breakaway, it was more to make sure we had a good position."