Afghan Women’s Cycling Archive

A cultural and historical project to create a complete, multimedia, physical and digital archive of the Afghan women’s cycling revolution.

We are preserving the historical artifacts and recording the stories of the women and girls that challenged and changed Afghanistan’s history of two wheels.

An estimated 5% of recorded history is about women. In Afghanistan, the first Taliban regime systematically destroyed photographs, books, newspapers, and records. Much was hidden, buried, and smuggled out by Nancy Dupree. The future of the historical records and archives saved once before is unclear.

The history of these women is sandwiched between the two Taliban regimes. Our work is to preserve their decade of history to ensure that future generations know what they accomplished, not just for sport, but for mobility justice and gender equality in the public sphere.

This archive will ensure we preserve a rounder, fuller story of who these Afghan women are and the society they were truly a part of. This history is vital for preserving the identity not just of the women involved as cyclists, but for the identity of future Afghan women and girls, and of Muslim women everywhere.

  • Get involved

    Want to get involved? Please reach out. We are looking for sponsors and partners to support our work, but most of all we are looking for the cyclists, photographers, journalists, writers, and sports staff who documented, supported, and witnessed the Afghan cycling revolution.

    If we haven’t found you yet, please reach out. You are part of this project.

    Learn more

  • Pedal A Revolution - The Podcast

    These are the stories of the cyclists who made history in their own words. Human rights activist and archive project co-founder, Shannon Galpin met most of these women on bike rides in Afghanistan. Now they are sharing their stories for the podcast and the archive as the cyclists introduce Shannon to their new homes.

    Coming soon

  • The Women's Cycling Archive Newsletter

    Follow the journey of creating the archive from different perspectives. Regular contributors, Tahera Shayagan and Shannon Galpin will share posts that illuminate the creative process of the archive journey on our Patreon newsletter..

    Guest posts from cyclists will provide a unique insight into the women that are now scattered across the globe, unfiltered and in their own words.

    Join