Sporting Digest: Cycling

CHRIS BOARDMAN withdrew from the Tour of Switzerland yesterday. The 1992 Olympic pursuit champion, in his first professional season, recorded his sixth win of the season on Sunday in a 30km time trial in this race. The GAN team director, Roger Legeay, said he wanted to rest the Briton for the Tour de France, which begins on 2 July. Although he was not expected to go on the Tour, his rapid progress has convinced Legeay that he could play a key role, especially in the first two weeks of the event.

TOUR OF SWITZERLAND Seventh stage (183km, Locarno to Anzere): 1 H Imboden (Swit) 5hr 57min 12sec; 2 R Massi (It); 3 P Richard (Swit); 4 V Poulnikov (Ukr) both s/t; 5 G Pierobon (It) +35sec; 6 M Gianetti (Swit) +1min 29sec; 7 M Saligari (It); 8 F Puttini (Swit) both s/t; 9 F Giupponi (It) +1:51; 10 J Nevens (Bel) +1:56. Overall: 1 Richard 25:14:53; 2 Poulnikov +1min 2sec; 3 Pierobon +1:06; 4 Imboden +1:26; 5 Massi +2:23; 6 Saligari +4:04; 7 L Armstrong (US) +4:18; 8 Giupponi +4:33; 9 Gianetti +4:41; 10 Puttini +5:56.

MARIE PURVIS, the Isle of Man's British road race champion, became the first woman winner in the Isle of Man week yesterday when she came from behind to beat the Essex veteran Tony Woodcock by half a length in the 32-mile Willaston handicap road race.

ISLE OF MAN WEEK Willaston handicap road race (32 miles): 1 M Purvis (Manx Viking Wheelers) 1hr 25min 0sec; 2 A Woodcock (Elite CC) s/t; 3 W Wright (Wal) +27sec; 4 F Laurance (Fr); 5 J Clay (Team Orange); 6 J Tanner (Choice Accountancy) all s/t. Onchan Cup junior road race (38 miles): 1 M McNena (Federation of Irish Cyclists) 1:45:44; 2 H Pritchard (Wal) s/t; 3 D Tudor (Wal) +1min 21sec; 4 C Fower (FIC); 5 M Woods (FIC); 6 R Lyttle (Ulster CF) all s/t.