Zak Dempster burgled while winning Dengie Marshes Tour

The world of road racing is often characterised as being one of highs and lows but rarely do those opposites come as close together as they did yesterday for Zak Dempster.

The Australian Rapha Condor Sharp rider took victory in the 83-mile Dengie Marshes Tour in Essex - also known as the Hell of the East - before returning home to find his place had been ransacked and burgled.

The thieves got away with his girlfriend Beth’s Cervelo R3 bike, some cash, his passport and other documentation, including his birth certificate.

After venting his spleen on Twitter last night, Zak has tweeted this morning that he hopes to sort out a temporary passport which will allow him to travel to Spain tonight for a forthcoming race.

He is appealing to the cycling community to be on the lookout for the stolen Cervelo bike which is white in colour and equipped with Dura-Ace and 440 Zipp clinchers.