In his debut season for Argos-Shimano, Slovenian sprinter Luka Mezgec achieved 16 top-five finishes before finally breaking his duck on the last day of the season at the Tour of Beijing. This time out, there were no similar frustrations however – Mezgec leading out a long sprint in Calella to take victory on his first WorldTour outing of the season. In a team blessed already with the sprinting talents of Marcel Kittel and John Degenkolb – both of whom have enjoyed success already this season – Mezgec has a job on his hands to stand out but is a rider on form.

Victory in the 1.1-classified Handzame Classic will not have featured too many radars last week outside of the team and avid supporters. But having followed it with victory on stage one in Catalonia, and having done so with a hugely impressive sprint from a long way out, he is starting to raise a few eyebrows. The 25-year-old will be rewarded with a day in the leaders’ jersey, replicating Degenkolb’s achievements at Paris-Nice. It is clear Giant-Shimano are not just a two-pronged attack when it comes to their sprinting armoury.