Isle of Man cyclist Mark Cavendish and his Team Sky colleagues finished fourth in today's opening stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico race in Italy.

The seven day stage event is also known as the 'Race of the Two Seas' and opened with a Team Time Trial.

Sky recorded a time of 19 minutes and 4 seconds for the 16.9 kilometre route - quickest were Australian outfit GreenEDGE with 18 minutes 41 seconds.

Tomorrow and Friday are the best opportunities for the Manx Missile to add to his 2012 victory tally.