Winner at the Coppi e Bartali, there were high hopes for Pete Kennaugh (Team Sky) ahead of the Tour of the Basque Country. But after losing 16 minutes on stage one, the Manxman suffered another difficult day in the saddle on stage three – rolling in last of the finishers some 12 minutes off the pace. For Kennaugh – tipped to be a future Grand Tour contender – it is all part of the learning curve, but as any hardened cyclist will tell you it does not make it enjoyable.

Probly close to the worst I have ever felt on a bike today !

— Peter kennaugh (@Petekennaugh) April 9, 2014

For Team Sky, with Ben Swift having finished fourth and Mikel Nieve staying safely in the bunch it was another decent day – though they would have wanted more after setting the pace in the bunch for much of the stage. Josh Edmondson in particular pulled a huge shift, an encouraging sign with much expected of one of Team Sky’s other young Brits.