Peter Kennaugh was 26th on the first stage of the Tour of Sardinia - five seconds behind stage winner Peter Sagan.
He is riding in Great Britain colours ahead of the World Track Championships in Holland next month alongside riders including Geraint Thomas and new Island resident Ben Swift.
Meanwhile, younger brother Tim has made an impressive start to his season.
He finished 23rd at a race near Marseille on Saturday.
He was one of the original four in a break, which later swelled to 30 riders, who finished 16 minutes ahead of the rest of the peloton.
This was his first outing for his new Italian/Polish team MG Norda.
