Elia Viviani claimed second place on his Team Sky debut as Challenge Mallorca got under way.

Strong work from Team Sky in the closing stages put the Italian in the mix, and a podium finish in the Trofeo Santanyi-Ses Salines-Campos capped a great start to the European season.

Ben Swift backed up his team-mate in seventh as a host of top-class sprinters battled it out after 175 kilometres.

It was Matteo Pelucchi (IAM Cycling) who prevailed in the first of four races on the island, with Viviani followed home by Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) to round out the podium.

After the race there were mixed emotions for Viviani, who heaped praise onto the team's new-look lead-out train.

“The team made a perfect lead-out,” he told TeamSky.com after the race. “I’m sorry for everyone I couldn’t finish it off.

“Pelucchi came from behind and he started the sprint just before me. Once he had jumped I just didn’t have the speed to pull him back before the line.

“We’re happy because it was the first lead-out we’ve done together. We had a good feeling with Andy Fenn and Bernie (Eisel), and before that with Danny Pate, (Ian) Boswell and Xabi (Zandio). Now we’re already thinking about Sunday. We’ll take the positives from what we did today and I think next week in Dubai, if we have this feeling now after one race, we can improve and make the best lead-out in the group. I’m looking forward to it.”