Japanese photographer shares her memories of the season
Image 1 of 45
The peloton riding on a typical Bretague road near the sea, Tro Bro Leon 2013 (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 2 of 45
Young spectators come forward at the award ceremony of Tour de Singkarak (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 3 of 45
The leading group climbing at theTour de Singkarak (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 4 of 45
A large crowd gathered at the Tour de Singkarak (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 5 of 45
Riders passing at the intermediate sprint line in a tiny town, Koto Baru, at the Tour de Singkarak (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 6 of 45
School girls cheered for riders at the Tour de Singkarak (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 7 of 45
The corner of the 'Tabuik' monument during the Tour de Singkarak (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 8 of 45
A lone cycling fan watches the Tour de Singkarak from his paddy field (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 9 of 45
The race leader, Michael Cuming (Rapha-Condor-JLT) at the start line of Tour de Korea (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 10 of 45
Korean idol dancers cheered up riders at Tour de Korea (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 11 of 45
A sea side road on Sumatra island at the Tour de Singkarak (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 12 of 45
The new world champion, Rui Costa (Portugal) was moved to tears on the podium of the worlds (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 13 of 45
After the race, an IAM Cycling rider wiped off mud on his face, Tro Bro Leon 2013 (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 14 of 45
Riders powered on an off-road section during Tro Bro Leon (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 15 of 45
Taiji Nishitani (Aisan Racing) won the last stage of the Tour of Japan 2013 (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 16 of 45
Winners awaiting the award ceremony with a mascot of the city at the Tour of Japan (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 17 of 45
Riders just pass the summit of a mountain at the Tour of Japan on stage 2 (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 18 of 45
Japanese ninjas came to the start line of stage 2 at the Tour of Japan (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 19 of 45
The peloton passed in front of the Duomo of Firenze, in the U23 category at the world championships (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 20 of 45
Team Omega Pharma - Quickstep in action at the team time trial of the world championships (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 21 of 45
The team time trial at the world championships was held under a blue sky in Firenze (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 22 of 45
After a hard race Jason Christie (OCBC Singapore) takes a rest at the Tour de Korea (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 23 of 45
The grupetto riding to the top of Mont-Ventoux in the Tour de France (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 24 of 45
Tony Martin powers to the line at the Tour de France (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 25 of 45
Robert Hunter (South Africa National Team) during a solo escape on stage 2 of the Mzansi Tour (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 26 of 45
Riders try to escape from the field at the Mzansi Tour (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 27 of 45
The last stage of Le Tour de Langawi (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 28 of 45
Sohrabi Mehdi (Tabriz Petrochemical Team) heads to sign in at Le Tour de Langkawi (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 29 of 45
The peloton at the Tour de Langkawi in 2013 (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 30 of 45
A local girl watches as the peloton race by in Langkawi (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 31 of 45
Race leader Julian Arredondo Moreno (Team NIPPO - De Rosa) at Langkawi (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 32 of 45
Ivan Basso (Cannondale) leads the peloton at the Japan Cup (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 33 of 45
Michael Rogers (Saxo-Tinkoff) got away to win with Josh Edmondson (Team Sky) at the Japan Cup (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 34 of 45
stage winner Mauro Richeze (Team NIPPO - De Rosa) with local chorus group known as the 'Mzansi youth choir'. (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 35 of 45
The peloton head through the landscape at the Mzansi Tour (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 36 of 45
Chris Froome manages a smile before the TTT at the Tour de France (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 37 of 45
The Tour de France visited Corsica in 2013 (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 38 of 45
Shinichi Fukushima, 42-years-old, a veteran Japanese rider enjoyed his last race at the Saitama Criterium. He raced aggressive in his long career (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 39 of 45
Chris Froome (Team Sky) wins the Saitama Criterium (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 40 of 45
Chris Froome (Team Sky) and some riders tried 'sumo wrestling' before the Saitama Criterium (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 41 of 45
Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Leopard) wins the Tour of Flanders (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 42 of 45
Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Leopard) drops Peter Sagan in Flanders (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 43 of 45
A wild giraffe watches the race at the Mzansi Tour 2013 (South Africa) (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 44 of 45
The Mzansi Tour in 2013 (Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Image 45 of 45
(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Our retrospective look at the 2013 campaign continues with a fine gallery of pictures from Japanese photographer Sonoko Tanaka. Sonoko clocks up more air miles than most as she covers a wide range of races all across Asia and Europe.
This gallery includes some breathtaking shots from the Tro-Bro Léon, where Francis Mourey (FDJ) emerged victorious over the dirt roads of Brittany in April. The Tour de France and Tour of Flanders also feature prominently, as well as some stunning images from the Tour of Korea and the Tour de Singkarak in June.
The Saitama Criterium in October provided a particularly fitting stage for Sonoko’s photography, as some of the biggest stars of the Tour de France, including maillot jaune Chris Froome, arrived in Japan to bring the curtain down on the 2013 season.
Click here for the full gallery of Sonoko’s images.
Cyclingnews Newsletter
Sign up to the Cyclingnews Newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information about how to do this, and how we hold your data, please see our privacy policy
