In pictures: Best shots of Yorkshire cycling photographer's award-winning images

From Chile to the Netherlands, Rwanda to Switzerland, a cycling photographer certainly racks up the air miles. Alex Whitehead of Yorkshire-based agency SWPix also notches up the awards.

The latest is for specialist portfolio at the Sports Journalists’ Association awards earlier this week - and these pictures are a snapshot of his winning entry.

Alex travels the world photographing cycling events for SWPix, whose owner Simon Wilkinson is proud of not only this one-off achievement by his employee, but his body of work over a number of years.

“Alex lets his pictures do the talking,” says Simon. “For a number of years he’s had the respect of his professional community which I think is the biggest thing.

“I’ve had a lot of messages from our clients across the world congratulating him, which shows how highly he is regarded.”

Originally from Wales but now living in Holmfirth, 35-year-old Alex joined SWPix on a temporary contract in 2012.

“He started with us a couple of months before the London Olympics,” Simon remembers. “His first job was shadowing a very experienced photographer of ours called Vaughn Ridley at Scarborough to cover Yorkshire cricket.

“I rang Vaughn and I could tell he was in his car. I said: ‘where you going?’ Vaughn just said, there’s no need for me to be here, this kid knows what he’s doing. The next day he had pictures in the Yorkshire Post and the Guardian. He’s required the least bit of guidance of everyone who’s ever worked for us.”