Lampre's Sacha Modolo won the opening stage of the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal.
This year's race started with a 160km stage from Faro to Albufeira and featured a number of big names including British Champion Mark Cavendish.
Fonte, Afonso, V Pereira, Pliuschin and Silva were the early escapers and had a 3.30 lead before the break split with Afonso, Fonte and Pliuschin getting forty seconds clear of Pereira & Silva and 4.10 ahead of the peloton.
Slowly but surely, the peloton dragged the escapers back to a lead of 1.22 going into the final forty kilometres.
Onto the final circuit around the holiday destination of Albufeira and the escapers had a lead of twenty seconds which quickly vanished and set up a bunch sprint.
Sacha Modolo was brought up by his Lampre team and he took the win in 3.51.46 ahead of Costa, Petacchi, Coquard, Napolitano, Demare, Pinto, Schorn, Tsatevich and Lobato to wear the leader's jersey in the second 196km stage from Lagoa to Monchique.