AFGHANISTAN-CONFLICT-WOMEN-SPORT-LIFESTYLE

To go with Afghanistan-unrest-women-sport-lifestyle,FEATURE by Anuj CHOPRA This photograph taken on June 9, 2014 shows members of the Afghan national women's cycling team riding their road bikes in Paghman district of Kabul province. Trundling down dun-coloured mountain slopes, they disregard hard stares and vulgarities from passing men, revelling in an activity that seemed unthinkable for previous generations of Afghan women - riding a bicycle. The sight of a woman on a bicycle may not be unusual in most parts of the world, but it is a striking anomaly in Afghanistan where strict Islamic mores deem the sport unbecoming for women. The countrys 10-member national women's cycling team is challenging those gender stereotypes, often at great personal risk, training their eyes not just on the 2020 Olympics but a goal even more ambitious -- to get more Afghan women on bikes. AFP PHOTO/SHAH Marai (Photo credit should read SHAH MARAI/AFP via Getty Images)