As Afghanistan’s leading private television station, the Ariana News prides itself on bringing the latest in breaking news and important world events to viewers around the country. From politics to business to sports, Ariana News is a vital and trusted news source for all Afghans.
One particularly inspiring story that Ariana News reported on recently was the outstanding achievements of the National Women’s Cycling Team of Afghanistan during the Cyclosportive Albigeoise, a major international cycling race held in France in late May 2016. Read on for all the details about this remarkable story.
The origins of women’s cycling in Afghanistan
In the five years since it began, Afghanistan’s national women’s cycling team has become an important symbol of women’s achievement and empowerment. The team launched in 2011 as an offshoot of the men’s national team. For the handful of high school and college-aged women who comprised the team, there were many obstacles to overcome, most notably the challenge of breaking down gender stereotypes in a country where traditional gender roles are still highly valued. Through hard work and dedication, the team sent three of its members to compete in the 33rd Asian Cycling Championships in New Delhi in 2013. Although the team did not do as well as it had hoped in the race, this was nevertheless an important moment for the them, as it marked the first time that an Afghanistan women’s team had competed on the world stage.
Since that time, the team has continued to garner significant international recognition, while at the same time dealing with challenging training conditions and internal management issues. Today, the team has 40 women, all of whom ride their bikes not only for the love of cycling, but also to promote social change. In 2015, the team was named one of the “2016 Adventurers of the Year” by National Geographic Magazine. Most recently, the team was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by the Italian parliament in recognition of its dedication and hard work to promote cycling throughout Afghanistan.
The Cyclosportive Albigeoise
One of the Afghanistan women’s cycling team’s most important achievements to date occurred at the Cyclosportive Albigeoise. Most recently held on May 29, 2016 in the city of Albi in southwestern France, the Albigeoise is a major one-day international cycling race with a variety of different categories for male and female cyclists. The year 2016 marked the 22nd time that the race has been held. In addition, the Albigeoise is a French qualifying event for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships, which are set to take place in Australia in September.
Three members of the Afghan team took part in the Albigeoise, the first time that Afghan women have competed in a race with both men and women from different countries. Sisters and teammates Masoma Alizada and Zahra Alizada, together with their teammate Zhala Sarmast, traveled to France two weeks before the race to complete additional training under the guidance of world champions Rolland Gilles and Claudia Gillas. On race day, the hard work and commitment of the team members propelled the group to its best-ever result. Masoma Alizada and Zahra Alizada placed second and third, respectively, out of 25 countries in the competition.
Such an achievement is a major step forward for women’s cycling in Afghanistan. Whereas the idea of competing in an international race held in France would have seemed like a dream at one time, as Zahra Alizada stated, the reality of two young Afghan women on the podium for an important international cycling event has demonstrated to the world how far that women’s cycling in Afghanistan has come. The international media was quick to catch on to the inspiring story of this dedicated team. The news of its success in the race was reported by news outlets all over the world, and it captured the attention and enthusiasm of a global audience.
What’s next
As a result of their second and third place rankings in the Albigeoise, Masoma and Zahra Alizada have qualified to compete in the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships (the qualifying procedure for this event states that cyclists, both men and women, must finish in the top 25% of their designated age group in a qualifying event of their choice—in this case, the Albigeoise—in order to be able to compete in the World Championships). The event, which will be held in the city of Perth in Western Australia in early September, will welcome cyclists from around the world. In addition to preparing for the race, the Afghanistan national women’s cycling team will also be spending some time in front of the camera. LET Media, a production company focused on storytelling about social justice issues, plans to make a documentary feature film about the team.