these are the women who are  defying the taliban to follow their dream of becoming professional cyclists while afghanistan's national men's cricket and football teams have enjoyed the spotlight recently, women's sports have endured stuttering progress in the face of family pressure and a lack of public support but the national cycling team has been breaking new ground for women's sports in the country and pushing the boundaries of what is   and is not   acceptable for young women in the conservative muslim nation one team member, malika yousufi, even dreams of becoming the first afghan woman to compete in the tour de france   a cycling event dominated by men since its first event in 1903 scroll down for video  breaking new ground: abdul sadiq sadiqi (right) coach of afghanistan's women's national cycling team gives a motivational talk before training begins in kabul  playing catch up: zhala, a member of afghanistan's women's national cycling team, takes to the road with her team mates on the outskirts of kabul  winter training: team members see the funny side as they are put through their paces during a training exercise on a snow covered mountain  wheels in motion: masooma alizada (left), and zahra alizada (right) concentrate as they swoop down the side of a mountain near kabul  under the taliban in the 1990s, women in afghanistan were  excluded from public life, banned from going to school or  stepping outside their home without a male family member women's rights have made gains since the hardline islamist  group's ouster in 2001, but observers worry that progress is at  risk as violence against women persists and women remain  under represented in politics 'we are resolved to keep our commitments to women and wewill protect and reinforce our achievements,' president ashrafghani's office said in a statement released after the presidentmade a speech ahead of international women's day on march 8 defiant: the women have been breaking new ground for women's sports in afghanistan and pushing the boundaries of what is   and is not   acceptable for young women in the conservative muslim nation  hard yards: the women's cycling team is pushing ahead, despite not having been paid for several months   a problem for many afghan athletes  time out: two team members take a break from a gruelling training session to admire the scenery as they sit on the back of their support car  on the road: to clock the distances needed for training, team members pile their bikes in cars and drive outside the capital, where their uniform of loose fitting tops and long pants won't draw stares  leading the charge: frozan rasooli (left) and masooma alizada (right) focus on the road ahead while their coach shouts out encouragement  last year, the women's cricket team was quietly dissolved  amid taliban threats and a shortage of players the women's cycling team is pushing ahead, despite not  having been paid for several months, a problem for many afghan  athletes to clock the distances needed for training, team members  pile their bikes in cars and drive outside the capital, where  their uniform of loose fitting tops and long pants won't draw  stares cyclist zhala unloads her bicycle ahead of a training session near kabul the team is determined to carry on in the face of family pressure and a lack of public support  safety first: coach abdul sadiq sadiqi (right) helps cyclist malika yousufi (left) with her helmet as the team prepares for another training session  fine tuning: masooma alizada (left) and frozan rasooli (right) take a break to carry out some maintenance on one of the team's road bikes  food for thought: cyclist masooma alizada (pictured) replenishes her energy as she snacks on an orange during a training session  during the ride, the coach leads the pack in a car 'the coach is like a shield for us,' yousufi said 'if he  wasn't there, we couldn't ride' even so, drivers sometimes shout profanities at the riders,  and their team captain is struggling with a back injury from a crash  after a man on a motorbike reached out to grab her abdul sadiq sadiqi, the coach and president of the afghan  cycling federation, is not overly concerned determined: zahra alizada (right) and frozan rasooli (following in a blue scarf) prepare themselves for another day's training on the road  team effort: more than 40 women train with the group, and the best among them are competing in international competitions  drivers sometimes shout profanities at the riders and their team captain is struggling with a back injury from a crash after a man on a motorbike reached out to grab her  masooma alizada goes through her exercise routing before taking to the road despite the progress of the team, observers worry gender based violence persists and women remain under represented in politics in afghanistan  brave: zhala (left), maryam sediqi (centre) and malika yousufi (right) are determined to succeed while malika even dreams of competing in the tour de france  masooma alizada runs on a treadmill as she shows her determination to become a cyclist with the potential to compete on the world stage  'these are people who don't let their children go to  school,' sadiqi said more than 40 women train with the group, and the core team  has competed in several international competitions on a recent morning, team members leaned into the curves in  the road, whizzing past a checkpoint where a group of soldiers  watched them pass 'nothing will stop us,' yousufi said masooma alizada (left), zahra alizada (centre), and frozan rasooli (right) have described their coach as being 'like a shield for us' yousufi said: 'if he wasn't there, we couldn't ride' team talk: frozan rasooli (left), zahra alizada (second left), and masooma alizada (third left) pick up some vital tips from coach abdul sadiq sadiqi (right) during a team talk  zahra alizada (pictured) and her friends want to boost women's sport in the country with afghanistan's national men's cricket and football teams enjoying the spotlight recently  quiet reflection: masooma alizada and her friends still face barriers to achieving their goals last year, the women's cricket team was quietly dissolvedamid taliban threats and a shortage of players  the women have received some encouragement from president ashraf ghani's office which said in a statement: 'we are resolved to keep our commitments to women and we will protect and reinforce our achievements' pictured is one of the team's bicycle pumps 
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