The OutSPOKEn Cyclist
By Diane Jenks
If you type Afghan Women’s Cycling Team into your Internet browser, dozens, if not hundreds, of stories appear.
Back in the early 2000s, a gutsy woman humanitarian activist from the U.S. – Shannon Galpin – dared to ride a mountain bike in Afghanistan, leading to a mini-revolution as 
women all over the country decided they, too, wanted the freedom of riding, and eventually even racing their bicycles.
What emerged was the Afghan Women’s Cycling Team and in short order, they, along with Shannon, became National Geographic’s Adventurers of the Year.
Then, a group of Italian politicians nominated the team for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Manufacturers stepped up, sending in apparel, shoes, bikes, and eventually, the team was training and racing! They had a schedule and a coach and were working together to get more girls on bikes.
Then, back in July, I re-interviewed Shannon amid the whispers of the Taliban taking over the country – which as we all know, happened a lot faster than had been anticipated. She laid out her fears about what she believed might happen.
Now, as we watch the horrors of a country under siege unfold, my thoughts are constantly on these women and girls of Afghanistan.
For the past two weeks, there has been an all-out effort to find a way for them to safely evacuate the country.
Shannon, working from Scotland, has been running on empty for hours and days on end as she tries to coordinate the dicey maze of transport, visas, countries that will take the women after they are evacuated, and an underground phalanx of people all trying to keep track of where these women are and how to get them to the right place at the right time.
In the meantime, Shannon set up a fund to help with resettlement and I tapped every name in my “electronic Rolodex” from magazines, newspapers, journalists, and “people in high places” all over the world (the fringe benefit of 11 years of podcasting!)
Stories started to emerge – many from the cycling world; others from concerned countries, and still others from outlets such as the Washington Post, National Geographic, and the Wall Street Journal.
Then, they closed the airport in Kandahar and only one girl with three of her siblings had gotten out so far.
Shannon and I had another short conversation on Thursday, this time over Zoom so that we could upload it to YouTube. The situation was becoming dire.
As I sit here today, Saturday, August 28th, the evacuation plans are still underway. No one is safe. We are, however, hopeful that the efforts so many people have been making will soon bear fruit.
And, as Shannon says in our latest conversation, the real work begins.
These women will leave their homes, fleeing to countries about which they may know little. They may not speak the local language. They will have one small bag of personal belongings. And, they will have to begin their lives all over again.
Many are college-educated professionals who, in the effort to fade into the background in their home country, have burned their diplomas and books along with their bicycle clothing and anything that might show they are not what the new regime might want.
Please keep these women and girls in your thoughts. If you are inclined to help, you can contact me, you can make a donation to the fundly campaign, you can contact your legislators.
These are scary times for so many reasons – but we are safe and we are free.
