Sporting Digest: Cycling

BRITAIN'S former hour world record holder, Chris Boardman, who won the time trial on Monday, retained the leader's jersey after the 224km first stage of the Dauphine Libere race in France when he finished with the pack yesterday.

CRITERIUM DU DAUPHINE LIBERE First stage (224km, Evian to St Priest): 1 M Wust (Ger) Novemail 5hr 54min 47sec; 2 W Veenstra (Neth) Collstrop ; 3 E Magnien (Fr) Castorama ; 7 S Kelly (Irl) Catavana all s/t. Overall: 1 C Boardman (GB) Gan 6hr 3min 37seconds; 2 P Dojwa (Fr) Gan +1sec; 3 Magnien +2.

GIRO D'ITALIA 10th stage (115km, Marostica): 1 D Abdoujaparov (Uzbek) Polti 2hr 33min 7sec; 2 G Lombardi (It) Lampre; 3 F Baldato (It) GB MG; 4 R Pagnin (It) Navigare; 5 A Ferrigato (It) ZG Mobili; 6 R Sorensen (Den) GB MG; 7 M Chiesa (It) Carrera; 8 F Chioccioli (It) Mercatone; 9 F Bordonali (It) Brescialat; 10 G Bugno (It) Polti all s/t. Overall: 1 E Berzin (Rus) Gewiss Ballan 37:30:31; 2 A de las Cuevas (Fr) Castorama +2min 16sec; 3 Bugno +2:32; 4 M Indurain (Sp) Banesto +3:39; 5 M Giovannetti (It) Mapei Clas +4:58; 6 F Casagrande (It) Mercatone +5:02; 7 W Belli (It) Lampre +5:24; 8 P Tonkov (Rus) Lampre +6:09; 9 M Podenzana (It) Navigare +6:25; 10 M Argentin (It) Gewiss Ballan +6:42.

TOUR OF ASTURIAS First stage (178km, Colombres, Sp): 1 J Skibby (Den) TVM 4hr 31min 26sec; 2 A Olano (Sp) Mapei Clas +4sec; 3 P Lanfranchi (It) Mercatone Uno; 4 A Camargo (Col) Artiach all s/t; 5 A Bertolini (It) Carrera +7sec; 6 J Weltz (Den) Artiach; 7 S Hernandez (Sp) ONCE; 8 I Cuesta (Sp) Euskadi; 9 L Leblanc (Fr) Lotus; 10 P Delgado (Sp) Banesto s/t.