Riders in the Tour du Faso(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Africa got two huge boosts from Kenyan native Chris Froome's Tour de France win and South African Daryl Impey's time in the maillot jaune. Froome went back to Kenya to see hsi mentor David Kinja and riders from his former team Safari Simbaz(Image credit: AFP Photo)
A family watch cyclists during the first stage of the 2013 Tour of Beijing(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Fumi Beppu (Orica-GreenEdge) races the Saitama Criterium.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Yukira Arashiro, Fumi Beppu, Christophe Riblon, Chris Froome, Peter Sagan, Marcel Kittel and Rui Costa pose with Bernard Hinault at the Saitama Criterium.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Chris Froome and Rui Costa took some Sumo lessons while in Japan.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Jack Bauer (Garmin-Sharp) takes the sprint for second at the Japan Cup road race.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Europcar's Yohann Gene won the overall Tropicale Amissa Bongo.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Jack Bauer, Michael Rogers and Damiano Cunego made up the Japan Cup road race podium.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
The Japan Cup podium: Matteo Trentin, Steele von Hoff and Bernhard Eisel(Image credit: AFP Photo)
A cyclist of Lotto-Belisol team watches a performance as he prepares for the start of the first stage of the 2013 Tour of Beijing(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Juan Antonio Flecha (Vacansoleil) enjoys the sun at the start of Tour of Beijing(Image credit: AFP Photo)
The Chinese fans make their own sunshine at the Tour of Beijing(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Tour du Faso stage 1 winner Issaka Kabre rehydrates.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Burkina Faso's Issaka Kabre wins the first stage of the Tour du Faso(Image credit: AFP Photo)
The Tour du Faso in Burkina Faso.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Cyclists pass crowds of spectators in Huye during the fifth edition of the Tour of Rwanda(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Cyclists pass crowds of spectators in Nyamagabe during the fifth edition of the Tour of Rwanda(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Togo's Monglo Toure, France's Mederic Clain and Rwanda's Emile Bintu Dinano celebrate on stage 3 podium in the Democratic Republic of Congo cycling Tour(Image credit: AFP Photo)
The Asian races always feature local performers in colourful costumes.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
It's not every day you can watch a bike race from one of the wonders of the world.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Nacer Bouhanni phones home after his Tour of Beijing stage win(Image credit: AFP Photo)
The fans really enjoyed the passage of the Tour of Beijing(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Europcar at the head of affairs at the Tropicale Amissa Bongo in Gabon.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Lampre-Merida, MTN-Qhubeka and Cofidis were among the European teams at the Tropicale Amissa Bongo in Gabon.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Cyclists ride through a country road during the first stage of the 2013 Tour of Beijing(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Peter Sagan, Chris Froome and Rui Costa on the podium at the Saitama Criterium.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Chris Froome, Peter Sagan and Rui Costa take part in the Saitama Criterium.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Chris Froome "won" the Saitama Criterium.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Rui Costa, Chris Froome and Christophe Riblon demonstrate their Sumo poses.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Chris Froome meets the fans at the Saitama criterium in Japan(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Flowers at the Japan Cup road race.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
At the end of the season, the riders deserve to take a big swallow of the podium champagne.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Dan Martin and Steele von Hoff celebrate the team's win at the Japan Cup.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Thor Hushovd (BMC) salutes after winning the opening stage of Tour of Beijing(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Tour de France winner Chris Froome shows of his maillot jaune at the head of the Saitama criterium in Japan.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ) enjoyed success at the Tour of Beijing(Image credit: AFP Photo)
The Tropicale Amissa Bongo is one of the biggest races in Africa, and attracts some European teams.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Fans cheer on the riders on stage six of the Tropicale Amissa Bongo in Gabon.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Benat Intxausti (Movistar) celebrates his win in Beijing(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Luka Mezgec (Argos-Shimano) snuck in a late-season stage win at Tour of Beijing(Image credit: AFP Photo)
David Lopez Garcia, Benat Intxausti and Daniel Martin made up the final Tour of Beijing podium(Image credit: AFP Photo)
The peloton had a few more climbs in this year's Tour of Beijing(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Nacer Bouhanni (FDJ) celebrates his win on stage 3 of Tour of Beijing(Image credit: AFP Photo)
The Tour of Beijing had a special call-up area for the classification leaders(Image credit: AFP Photo)
The BMC team controls the race on stage 2 of the Tour of Beijing(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Richie Porte (Sky) leads the peloton through a turn at the Japan Cup.(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Cycling has been on the upswing, thanks to the globalisation of the sport, and two prime areas of development are in Africa and Asia. The UCI and the major European race promoters have helped to stimulate the cycling economy in these regions, bringing new races onto the WorldTour stage as well as offering up opportunities for regional racers to face off against the Europeans.
In Africa, the Tour du Faso in Burkina Faso, the Tropicale Amissa Bongo in Gabon and the Tour of Rwanda are some of the top races, while China tends to dominate in Asia, especially since the advent of the Tour of Beijing WorldTour race.
This year the ASO stepped in to promote the Saitama Criterium in Japan which attracted the top Tour de France riders: Chris Froome, Peter Sagan and world champion Rui Costa. The Japan Cup also hosted a strong field, with the road race won by Saxo-Tinkoff's Michael Rogers and the criterium taken out by Steele von Hoff.
While the race action may look the same no matter which continent hosts the event, the scenery, spectators and overall atmosphere is unique to each country as the hosts try to inject some local culture.
We hope you enjoy this gallery of images from our photo provider AFP from these emerging events.
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