Masooma Alizada (L), and Zahra Alizada (R), member of Afghanistan's Women's National Cycling Team exercise on the outskirts of Kabul February 20, 2015. Afghanistan's Women's National Cycling Team has been breaking new ground for women's sports and pushing the boundaries of what is - and is not - acceptable for young women in the conservative Muslim country. 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 gender-based violence persists and women remain under-represented in politics. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail (AFGHANISTAN - Tags: SPORT SOCIETY CYCLING)

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