Riders passing in front of an ancient ruins in Tour of Turkey 2012(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Riders going over "thousand hills" in Tour of Rwanda 2012(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
A landscape from Tour of Rwanda 2012(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Great excitement in Tour des Flanders 2012(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
On the cobble stone section in Tour des Flanders 2012(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) won at Paris-Roubaix 2012(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Local kids raising a Malaysian flag in Le Tour de Langkawi 2012(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Passing through a palm tree plantation in Le Tour de Langkawi 2012(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Huge spectator gathered on the top of KOM in Japan Cup 2012(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Japan Cup 2012 has just started out in Utsunomiya forestpark.(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
In front of a Japanese grocer's, The guys from Jelly Belly Cycling Team take a rest in traning before Japan Cup 2012(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
At the Taiwanese country side, a man watching the race in Tour de Taiwan 2012.(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
The podium of Tour de Singkarak 2012 (Indonesia)(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
At small Indonesian town in Tour de Singkarak 2012(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Blue sky and white buildings, it’s a beautiful landscape in Tour of Turkey 2012(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
At stage16 in Tour de France 2012, a front group rides toward Col du Tourmalet.(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack-Nissan) on the podium after stage2 in Tour de France 2012.(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Riders climbing on a hill of Ardennes, Tour de France 2012(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Spectators enjoy watching the race with own way in Tour of Japan 2012,(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Fortunato Baliani (Team NIPPO) won at the queen stage, finishing to Mt. Fuji at Tour of Japan 2012(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Malaysian and Singaporean riders awaiting the race start in jest at Tour of Japan 2012(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
A local kid on the bridge at Tour of China 2012(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Chinese polices looking the race in Tour of China 2012(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
At a mountain stage in Tour de Singkarak 2012 (Indonesia)(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
A fertile rice paddy in Sumatra island, Indonesia(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Riders cross the railway tracks at a crossing in Tour de Taiwan 2012.(Image credit: Sonoko Tanaka)
Cyclingnews is fortunate to have received the colourful images from Japanese photographer Sonoko Tanaka. She's provided images from far-off locations such as Indonesia, Taiwan and Rwanda, as well as unique vantage points from the Tour de France, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
In this collection of 26 photos, Tanaka takes us to from the Tour of Langkawi, Tour of China, the Tour of Taiwan and the Singkarak Tour to the Japan Cup and Tour of Japan, offering glimpses of the countryside and culture of Asia.
She captures the excitement of the European Classics and Tour de France, and then heads to Rwanda to capture bike racing in Africa.
