Sporting Digest: Cycling

CHRIS BOARDMAN, Britain's Olympic pursuit champion and world one-hour record holder, won the 7km opening time trial in the Tour of Murcia yesterday. Boardman covered the distance in 8min 1sec.

GRAEME OBREE will attempt to regain the world one-hour track record at Stuttgart between 24 and 28 April. The world 4,000m pursuit champion, whose record of 51.596km stood as a world best for only six days in July 1993, will be attacking the total of 52.270km set by his British rival, Chris Boardman.

TOUR OF MURCIA (La Manga, Sp) First stage, 7km time trial (Sp unless stated): 1 C Boardman (GB) 8min 1sec; 2 E Breukink (Neth) +10sec; 3 M Mauri +14; 4 S Knaven (Neth) +20; 5 H Diaz Zabala +21; 6 A Olana; 7 A Garmendia all same time; 8 A Noe (It) +22; 9 M Rojas s/t; 10 A Gonzalez +24.

PARIS-NICE RACE Third stage (202km, Nevers to Clermont Ferrand): 1 D Abdoujaparov (Uzbek) 5hr 38min 4sec; 2 F Baldato (It); 3 M Cipollini (It); 4 E Leoni (It); 5 C Capelle (Fr) all s/t. Overall: 1 Baldato 14hr 24min 19sec; 2 Cipollini +3sec; 3 Abdoujaparov +9; 4 G Fidanza (It) +15; 5 Leoni +19.