Movistar Team had a good mark in its very first outing of the 2012 season. The squad led on Australian soil by José Luis Arrieta went a step behind the podium at the Down Under Classic, preface of the inaugural World Tour event starting on Tuesday, with a 4th spot by José Joaquín Rojas in the mass sprint deciding the 51k, 30-lap city race in Adelaide’s Rymill Park. André Greipel (LTB), Edvald Boasson Hagen (SKY) and Heinrich Haussler (GRM) were the only fastmen able to overcome the Spaniard, who had a puncture in the final laps he could get over.

The telephone squad, which had its first podium place in the new season with Iván Gutiérrez -winner of the first of five intermediate sprints in the day and 8th at the finish, showing his full recovery-, witnessed the competitive debut by Alejandro Valverde, rather active on the front of the field during the first half of the race, as well as Javi Moreno’s, the Andalusian racing for the first time in the Blue jersey. After a rest day tomorrow, the Tour Down Under will kick off with a 149k stage suited for sprinters from Prospect to Clare (01.30 CET).