Having struggled through the first windy stages of the Tour Mediteraneen, Alexander Porsev (Katusha) finally got his chance to sprint in this morning's short, fast stage. Being badly positioned, however, the Russian could only manage 10th but is convinced that he will be able to handle the fierce battles better as his condition improves.

Alexander Porsev showed great form in the recent Dubai Tour when he finished in the top 10 in the opening time trial and ended the race on a high with a solid 5th place in the final big bunch sprint in Dubai. He lined up at this week's Tour Mediteraneen keen to improve on those performances but until now it has been a tough race for the Russian.

On stage 1, Porsev fell behind when strong winds blew the peloton to pieces and yesterday he could not keep up with the best on the final climb of the Col du Petit Galibier. With only one more sprint stage on offer, he was keen to show his speed in this morning's fast opening stage.

Porsev survived the two climbs on the stage and remained in contention when the peloton powered down the finishing straight. Unfortunately, it was not to be for Porsev who was badly positioned and could only manage 10th.

However, he expects things to improve in the next races.

“The team worked for me today," he said. That was nice to see how they had confidence in me after my 5th in Dubai. Unfortunately, the final sprint was kind of a mess, very chaotic. I started the sprint in no ideal position and came too late. With the condition getting better, also the positioning will improve.“

This afternoon the Tour Mediteraneen continues with an 18.2km hilly time trial. Katusha hope that GC riders Yury Trofimov and Egor Silin can limit their losses and that former U23 world champion Anton Vorobyev can be in contention for the stage win.