Brighton ace Jonathan Sharpe scored a convincing win in the VC Etoile 12-mile road race at Lancing Manor.

Sharpe (Saucony RT) led the ten-lap race from start to finish and saw off an early challenge from German rider Tim Multze.

Multze was only ten seconds behind Sharpe after the first circuit and remained within striking distance until the fifth when Sharpe stepped up the pace and began lapping riders.

Multze then lost ground and was overtaken by Andy Seltzer (East Grinstead) and Paul Byford and Doug Fox of the Crawley Wheelers. The rain held off until the final lap but by then Seltzer had settled for second place.

Sharpe won in 57min.23sec and finished 1min.10sec ahead of Seltzer. Byford finished third at 1min.30sec, Fox was fourth at 3min.48sec and Multze fifth at 4min.30sec.

Friston rider James Dear (In Gear) placed sixth on the same lap as the winner but the rest of the field was lapped by Sharpe.

Four other Sussex club members finished in the top 12. Ninth was Simon Scarsbrook (Etoile), followed by Steve Burgess (Lewes Wanderers), Anthony Rogers (Brighton Excelsior) and Paul Howard (Etoile).

The race counted towards the Sussex League and Sharpe looks set to retain his title with just one race to go at Moulsecoomb Wild Park on December 22.

He said: "I felt really strong all the way through and once Multze had fallen back I was not put under any real pressure."

Dear, a former winner of the Sussex League, said he was now concentrating on road events and only riding occasional cyclo-cross races to keep fit during the off-season.

The under-16s race resulted in a win for Londoner William Thomson (Bike Plus) ahead of Sussex riders George Thomas (Crawley Wheelers) and Matthew Howard (VC Jubilee, Shoreham).

The under-12s event over a modified course was won by Rebecca Thomson (Bike Plus). Second and third were Jack Smith (Brighton Mitre) and George Gibson (Preston Park Youth Club).