THE Brite boys continued their winning run with a one-two in Sunday's 87-mile Romford-Harlow road race, with Matt Illingworth and Chris Walker bagging the top places just 24 hours after Rob Hayles's victory at Eastway.

With Jon Clay fourth, Chris Newton in sixth and Russell Downing eighth, Brite had five riders in the first eight. But Joe Bayfield (Team Invader) foiled a clean sweep of the podium places when he outsprinted Clay for third.

Clay and Bayfield had set the ball rolling when they attacked nine miles out of Romford. The pair reached the Theydon Mount prime 20 seconds clear of six chasers, with the main bunch at 28 seconds.

Two miles on and the six riders had latched on to the leaders to create an eight-strong break - Clay, Bayfield, last year's winner Brian Fleming (Cannons Sport Club), Simon Cope (Linda McCartney Foods RT), Illingworth, Walker, James Notley (GS Strada) and Tim Bayley (VC Deal).

With Brite, Cannons, Linda McCartney Foods, GS Strada and VC Deal represented up front, that left a dozen of their respective team-mates back in the bunch to slow things up.

With all the major teams represented, few in the bunch were willing to start a proper pursuit. David Rand (PDM Sports-WCU) tried, only to spend some lonely miles stuck on the front with no help forthcoming.

As the pace and distance told, 19 riders moved clear of the bunch. At 60 miles this group was down to 10 - Russell Downing, Newton, John Tanner and Bryan Steel, all Brite RT, Justin Clarke (Harrods-Giant), Rand, Darren Barclay (Arctic 2000), Neil Hoban (Linda McCartney), Andy Naylor (Cannons) and David Oakley (West Drayton MBC, who were 47 seconds behind the leaders.

It looked dangerous for the break, but as more riders joined the 10 chasers the group lost its cohesion and the gap opened to 1-10 at Hatfield Heath where the final 10-mile finishing gap began, and the break blew apart.

Attack followed attack as the Brite team launched probe after probe. First it was Clay having a go, only to be brought back by Bayfield. But the damage was done; first Cope, then Bayley and Fleming cracked, leaving Clay, Walker, Illingworth, Bayfield and Notley in the lead.

Then it was Illingworth's turn, but Notley brought him to order just in time for Walker to launch himself clear. The former Milk Race winner gained eight seconds before Notley again closed the gap, only to have Illingworth sprint away at Matching Green with three miles to go.

It was Bayfield chasing this time, with Clay on his wheel. Illingworth, still clear on the next climb as Clay and Walker marked Notley and Bayfield, was out of sight and heading for his best win for years.

"I felt stronger towards the end," Illingworth said. "Being in this team has lifted my morale - it's the first decent win I've had for a couple of years."

Walker, who crashed when he rolled a tub at Eastway, revealed: "I didn't realise my brake blocks were rubbing on my back wheel until I got away, and it was too hard to stay clear.

"I still haven't recovered from my fall yesterday, and my hip was hurting." Bayfield knew he was on a hiding to nothing. "I had hoped that Walker would stay away," he said. "I knew I would have trouble beating him in a sprint, but the others I could beat. It got a bit difficult with three from the same team at the end."

Brian Fleming, who had been hoping to follow up his 1997 win, admitted: "It was 10 miles too far for me today."

The Becontree Wheelers and Harlow CC joint promotion, supported by Rory O'Brien, was run off with excellent support from Essex Police, who provided outriders and static marshals at all potential danger spots.

1. Matt Illingworth (Brite RT) 87m in 3-05-15
2. C. Walker (Brite RT) at 36sec
3. J. Bayfield (Team Invader) at 38sec
4. J. Clay (Brite FIT) at 39sec
5. J. Notley (GS Strada) at 40sec
6. C. Newton (Brite RT) at 1-06
7. L. Garner (Twickenham CC)
8. R. Downing (Brite RT)
9. N. Hoban (Linda McCartney RT)
10. M. Ford (GS Strada) all st

Hot Spots.- Joe Bayfield.