Sporting Digest: Cycling

THE Tour de France organisers announced yesterday that 14 teams have earned automatic qualification for this year's 80th race which runs from 3 to 25 July. Greg LeMond's new team, Gan, who failed to qualify automatically, is expected to get one of the six wild cards, which will be handed out on 15 June, after the Criterium du Dauphine Libere and the Tour of Italy.

TOUR DE FRANCE QUALIFIERS: 1 Once (Sp): Zulle, Breukink, Jalabert; 2 Banesto (Sp): Indurain, Delgado; 3 GB-MG Maglificio (It): Ballerini, Cipollini, Chioccioli; 4 Carrera (It): Chiappucci, Sorensen, Roche; 5 Clas (Sp): Rominger; 6 Wordperfect (Neth): Alcala, Van Hooydonck; 7 Ceramiche Ariostea (It): Furlan, Cassani; 8 Novemail-Histor (Fr): Mottet, Ekimov; 9 Festina-Lotus (Andorra): Rooks, Lino; 10 Motorola (US): Hampsten, Anderson, Armstrong; 11 Gatorade (It): Bugno, Fignon; 12 Telekom (Ger): Ludwig, Ampler; 13 Castorama (Fr): Leblanc, Delion; 14 Lampre-Polti (It): Fondriest, Abduzhaparov.

THE British Cycling Federation last night confirmed that the 1994 national track championships will go ahead at Leicester, ending speculation of a move to Manchester's new indoor Olympic velodrome.