Mark Cavendish won the opening stage of the 7th Tour De San Luis in Argentina on Monday and picked up the first victory for his new Omega Pharma Quick Step team.
The opening stage in what is South America's premier cycle race started in San Luis on a 164km stage to Villa Mercedes with a strong field including Mark Cavendish, Peter Sagan and Alberto Contador.
Sérgio Paulinho was the first rider to break but it was Mexican Flavio De Luna who took the first King Of The Mountains climb ahead of Milan Kadlek.
At an average speed of 47.5 km/h, the race moved on to the sprint on the Juan Llerena El Viejo Almacen with 105.3kms gone.
Walter Perez, of the Cascos Naranjas team, took that sprint and he was in a group of seven riders who were 3.44 ahead of the peloton which was down by one rider following the abandonment of Jose Luis Ribera.
Speeds crept up to 50kmph as the stage hit the 30kms to go mark with four riders in Perez, Juarez, Hacecky, Nazaret, some 2.15 ahead.
That came down to 1.30 and gave the chance for Mark Cavendish's Omega Pharma Quick Step team to move to the front.
With six kilometres to go, the escapers day at the front was over and the peloton was all together.
The bunch got towards the finish line and Cavendish burst through to win ahead of Sacha Modolo of the Bardiani CSF Inox team and Lampre's Allesandro Petacchi.
Cavendish tweeted after his victory: "So my race number was a good omen. Though not as much as my@opqscyclingteam boys. So proud we could win my 1st race for the team."
Tuesday's second stage is a 171.4km stage from Tilisarao to Terraza del Portezuelo.
Picture courtesy of Tour De San Luis