Lukas Postlberger was yesterday crowned the winner of An Post Rás following a week that saw him deal with crashes, crosswinds, and even the theft of his bike the night before the final stage.

Just 24 hours after An Post Rás yellow jersey wearer Francesca Reda was thrown off the race for receiving an illegal tow, his teammate Matteo Malucelli of Team IDEA 2010 ASD claimed stage 3 into Bearna yesterday.

Italian rider Francesca Reda is the first race leader of this year’s An Post Rás after a thrilling opening stage from Dunboyne to Carlow yesterday which saw the peloton lose over 10 minutes and Ian Richardson of UCD take the county rider prize.