Sporting Digest: Cycling

TONI ROMINGER, the Swiss rider who is attempting to win the Tour of Spain for a historic third consecutive time, won yesterday's eighth stage, a 39.5-kilometre time trial in Alicante, and stretched his margin as race leader to four minutes.

TOUR OF SPAIN (Alicante) Eighth stage (39.5km time trial): 1 T Rominger (Swit) Mapei-Clas 48min 44sec; 2 M Mauri (Sp) Banesto +53sec; 3 M Zarrabeitia (Sp) Banesto +2min 17sec; 4 J Montaya (Sp) Banesto +2:18; 5 A Zulle (Swit) ONCE +2:20; 6 P Delgado (Sp) Banesto +2:21. Overall: 1 Rominger +32hr 55min 31sec; 2 Zarrabeitia +4:10; 3 Zulle +4:20; 4 Delgado +4:47.

THWAITES TOUR OF LANCASHIRE Sixth stage (90.3 miles, Blackburn to Blackburn): 1 D Rayner (Lex-Townsend) 3hr 40min 34sec; 2 C Walker (Lex-Townsend) +48sec; 3 J Hunt (CC Giro); 4 M Illingworth (N Wirral Velo); 5 C Lillywhite (Foremost-Karrimor) all same time. Final overall: 1 J Tanner (Choice Accountancy) 11hr 33min 45sec; 2 J Ramsbottom (Yorks and Humberside) +11sec; 3 R Prebble (Wembley RC) +18; 4 S Tyson (North East RT) +22.