August 30th, we pedal a revolution! Bikers, cyclists, commuters, and striders will take to their wheels in solidarity with the Afghan women that dare to ride, and in remembrance of the women that dared to ride before and in doing so, paved the way for independent mobility and freedom for women around the world.
The Afghan Women’s National Team rolled out today in Kabul for their long journey to Astana, Kazakhstan for the Asia Cycling Championship.
Mountain2Mountain secured funding to pay for the visas, passports, travel, lodging, and racing fees for 4 racers, Coach Sediqe, and an assistant. Thanks in large part to the current President of the Afghan Olympic Committee who we petitioned for support, we were able to financially support their inclusion in this important international competition.
They will be racing on their new Liv/giant composite racing frames, helmets, and jerseys. We are excited to see the team represent Afghanistan in this major cycling competition.
“It’s time to stop referring to Afghan women as weak, as helpless. Its time to refer to Afghan women as strong, catalysts for change. How can we expect Afghan women to fight if we continue to label them as victims?” I said these words at my first TEDx talk two years ago – 9 months before I first met the Afghan National Women’s Cycling Team. I had been working in Afghanistan and was enraged by the way we continue to look at Afghan women, and women like them around the world, as helpless victims that are in need of the West’s support. These are not victims, although they may be victimized. These are women of strength and resiliency that need tools, encouragements, and the outlets to use their voice. 2 1/2 years later, the young women I work with in Afghanistan show me every day they are not helpless, they are brave, strong, and fearless. They simply need tools. Or in this case, bikes. 
The young women of the Afghan National Cycling Team, and the young women around Afghanistan that are learning to ride bikes for the first time in their country’s history, did not grow up under a burqa. They matured in the post Taliban decade. They have taken advantage of opportunities in education, art, sport, and politics. Many were refugees in Iran and Pakistan and returned here in 2002 and 2003 with their families. Some stayed here and endured the Taliban’s regime. Most are in their final years of high school or early years of university, a couple are married. All are embracing the feeling of freedom that comes on two wheels. 
These women are the generation of Afghan women that are embracing new experiences, opportunities, without a specific intent of being revolutionary. They know what they are doing is controversial, but they believe it is their right, that they deserve the same access and opportunities as men, and riding a bike should not be forbidden because of their gender. I believe sport is a natural gateway to social change. As these women race and bring national pride to themselves, their families, and to Afghanistan, they are opening the door to allowing girls to ride bikes socially, as transportation. Increasing access to school or work, protecting their safety, and improving their health. Creating social justice and gender equality on two wheels. 
This year we went one step beyond the team’s support. I spent a morning at the old bazaar to buy bikes for each of the girls to keep at home. Their first ever bike. Do you remember your first bike? The joy and the freedom you felt riding it? Young women are now teaching other young women to ride, and several ride their bikes as transportation in Kabul. The first Afghan women to ever do so. Crossing the bridge from sport to social independence. 
Every day I worry about these young women. Not just on the bike, but off. They are on the front line in a gender and cultural war and yet, if they are willing to ride, to go to school, and to believe in a brighter future, I will do everything I can to support them. On and off the bike. Will you? The support of the team has been minimal and it’s time to step up. It’s time to support the women that are changing the future of their country one pedal stroke at a time. We need to get them a minibus and bike rack to safely travel to and from training. We need to support with stipends the national team so that they don’t have to quit the team to help support their families. We need to support their racing and travel. We need to pay for coaching training to build the internal infrastructure for the team to grow and flourish and compete ahead of the 2020 Olympics and future Asia Games. We also need to continue to support the mens’ team so that they will mentor and support the women’s team and build both teams under the cycling federation as brothers and sisters. More importantly, we need to support the young women that are riding outside of the team – women who are using the bike to get to and from school, or to simply ride with their girlfriends on the streets. Using the bike to literally take back the streets and their rights. Please help these women pedal a revolution. Believe that social change can occur one pedal stroke at a time. Know that these women, and women like them, are the future and their fearlessness needs our support. Tashakur. Donate today. www.mountain2mountain.org/donation photo credits: Top three – Deni Bechard Bottom two – Shannon Galpin
While I spent my first few days back in Afghanistan sorting out the bike delivery logistics from Kabul Airport Custom House, I took a day off to train with some of my favorite ladies, the women of the Afghan National Cycling Team. Coach showed up with his usual assortment of steel bikes stacked on top of his Land Rover and to my surprise had lovingly packed three of the composite racing bikes I had brought last spring between layers of carpet. This team needs a minibus something fierce!
Several new riders showed up including a trio of sisters driven by their brother because Coach’s car was full. As per usual when I now join, Coach handed off coaching duties to me, which I find comical as I am a mountain biker, not a roadie, nor a racer, but my previous life as a sports trainer and my general knowledge of cycling and coaching, coupled with the base level these girls are riding at, means I seem to have some knowledge to impart. This ride? The peloton. How to ride in a pack and not knock each other over like a row of dominos. How to ride wheel to wheel without running over the girl in front of you by mistake.
And after some warm up laps, the girls started to get the hang of it and I learned a few new Dari phrases like; ‘Nazdeek bosh’ – stay close together. ‘Dar buchoo’ – turn around. And my favorite, shouted loudly and often, ‘Takar nako’, DON”T CRASH.
Lesson One = Success.
Lesson Two = ‘How to Corner’ coming up next.
photos by Deni Bechard. You can follow Deni on instagram at @denibechard
In the end, it took a total of 18 hours over 2 days, visiting over 30 offices, gathering signatures, new forms, old forms, stamps, and drinking endless cups of green tea and make idle chitchat to get the myriad of paperwork completed for the Kabul Airport Custom House to release our 53 bikes donated by Liv/giant for the Afghan National Women’s Cycling Team. #freethebikes became a running gag in my jet lagged state of navigating Afghan bureaucracy. Seeing the final bike loaded onto the truck alongside Coach Sedique, head of the Afghan Cycling Federation and coach of the women’s team was worth every cup of tea. Time to ride!
Mountain2Mountain: Field Notes 