Sporting Digest: Cycling

Graeme Obree, the former world hour record-holder, was handed a shock defeat in yesterday's Tour of the Trossachs time trial over a 26.7-mile course in his native Scotland. Obree, who seven days earlier had won the British time trial title, blamed a chest infection for being pushed back to third place behind Andrew Wright of Inverness and Edinburgh's Richard Moore.

The Ukrainian Andrei Tchmil won the fastest Paris-Tours classic, boosting his confidence before next week's road race world championships. Tchmil, winner of the Paris-Roubaix race in 1994, outsprinted his breakaway companion, Britain's Max Sciandri in the final stretch to win at an averge speed of 48.4kph.