Sporting Digest: Cycling

TOUR OF SPAIN Seventh stage (260km, 161.2 miles, Baza to Alicante): 1 S Biasci (It) Mercatone 6hr 8min 3sec; 2 A Manuel Diaz (Sp) Castellblanch s/t; 3 M Vermote (Bel) Lostu Festina +1min 9sec; 4 M Strazzer (It) Navigare; 5 L Jalabert (Fr) ONCE; 6 E Leoni (It) Jolly; 7 J Skibby (Den) TVM-Bison; 8 F Roscioli (It) Brescialat; 9 L Lom (Slovak) Navigare; 10 O Chudja (Ukr) Castellblanch all s/t. Selected: 40 A Zulle (Swit) ONCE +1:09; 50 T Rominger (Swit) Mapei-Clas; 149 H Lodge (GB) all s/t. Overall Standings: 1 Rominger 32hr 6min 47sec; 2 M Zarrabeitia (Sp) Banesto +1min 53sec; 3 Zulle +2min; 4 L Cubino (Sp) Kelme +2.24; 5 O Rincon (Col) ONCE s/t; 6 P Delgado (Sp) Banesto +2.26; 7 L LeBlanc (Fr) Lotus Festina +3.00; 8 E Breukink (Neth) ONCE +3.45; 9 J Montoya (Sp) Banesto +3.48; 10 J Unzaga (Sp) Mapei-Clas +3.53.

THWAITES TOUR OF LANCASHIRE Fourth stage (65.5 miles, Rawtenstall to Accrington): 1 C Lillywhite (Foremost-Karrimor) 2hr 37min 5sec; 2 J Ramsbottom (Yorks & Humberside); 3 K Reynolds (Lex-Townsend); 4 R Holden (Muddy Fox); 5 J Wright (North East RT) all s/t; 6 N Hoban (Foremost-Karrimor) +4sec. Fifth stage (29 miles, Accrington): 1 R Ellingworth (Eng) 1:06:04; 2 M Dawes (Beeston RC) s/t; 3 M Illingworth (N Wirral Velo) +35sec; 4 G Coltman (Team Raleigh); 5 B Luckwell (FS Maestro); 6 Lillywhite all s/t. Overall: 1 J Tanner (Choice Accountancy) 7:52:28; 2 Ramsbottom +9sec; 3 R Prebble (Wembley RC) +13; 4 S Tyson (North East RT) +17; 5 S Bray (Invicta RC) +22; 6 M Kane (Irl) +24.