Bradley Wiggins measures his form against Lance Armstrong in Murcia

Bradley Wiggins's season moved into a new phase today, as the Tour of Murcia got under way with a first road stage won by the South African sprinter Robbie Hunter. Wiggins enjoyed a trouble-free ride to finish in the bunch alongside Lance Armstrong, who is likely to be one of his main rivals at the Tour de France in July. Armstrong is also in Murcia as part of his build-up and, within minutes of the stage finish, the seven-times Tour winner offered his take on Wiggins's form via his Twitter feed: "Brad Wiggins looks strong. For my money he's the favourite here." The race, which finishes on Sunday, is expected to be decided by Saturday's time trial, which is being billed as a significant gauge of early form for the two Tour contenders. Over a flat 22km course, it will offer Wiggins the opportunity of a stage win, and how he measures up to Armstrong, in the American's first race since January's Tour Down Under, should prove interesting. It could also explain Armstrong's apparent keenness to manage expectations by promoting Wiggins as favourite. Wiggins's "new phase" was identified by his coach, Rod Ellingworth, who is guiding the British rider as he seeks to better his fourth-place finish, just behind Armstrong, in last year's Tour. Ellingworth, the former British academy coach, who mentored Mark Cavendish throughout his meteoric rise, said Saturday's test against the watch was "definitely an objective". "He's finished his conditioning phase," said Ellingworth, referring to Wiggins's recent outings at the Tour of Qatar and Ruta del Sol. "Both Murcia and [the Tour of] Catalunya [at the end of March] are more about racing and making the most of each day. It's also about the big picture and thinking ahead to the summer." Wiggins is not the only British rider in Murcia, with Russell Downing and Chris Froome also in the seven-man Team Sky squad. Downing placed eighth in yesterday's bunch sprint, with another British rider, Ian Wilkinson, of the Scottish-based Endura Racing Team, 10th. It is unlikely that every stage will finish with a bunch sprint, with the Murcian climbs likely to offer an indication of Wiggins's form relative to Armstrong's. "It's good for Brad to see where he is against Lance," said Ellingworth. "It's easy to get distracted by what your rivals are doing but it's good to get a look at them as well. They probably both saw that [Alberto] Contador was good at [the Tour of] Algarve, but Brad's got nothing to worry about. He's in good shape."