OVER THE LAST eight days, riders from all over the world have embarked on an arduous journey around Ireland for the 2015 An Post Rás with the show piece event of the Irish cycling calendar coming to an end this afternoon.

Lukas Postlberger, Tirol Cycling Team, celebrates with the George Plant trophy in Skerries Paul Mohan / SPORTSFILE Paul Mohan / SPORTSFILE / SPORTSFILE

Austrian Lukas Postlberger of the Tirol Cycling Team was the eventual winner as he finished top of the general classification rankings after eight stages to claim the coveted yellow jersey and join an illustrious roll of honour.

“It’s really amazing to take this trophy. People speak of this race and how tough it is but you have to experience it yourself to really understand,” he said afterwards.

“I love this country and the people. The support they showed me over the eight days was something I’ll never forget. This is an honour for me to wear this yellow jersey so thank you to everyone.”

It was, however, a good week for the An Post Chain Reaction team with home favourite Ryan Mullen winning the U23 classification while Ian Richardson won the best County Rider, a title he held for the full eight days.

Today’s final stage into Skerries marked the end of a truly unique race which sees amateur and professional riders compete side-by-side with Ireland’s picturesque landscape acting as a stunning backdrop.

Once again, this year’s event saw thousands of spectators come out and support the riders as they weaved their way through towns and villages across the country having set off from Dunboyne this day last week.

Here’s a selection of the best images from the 2015 An Post Rás.