The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is pleased to announce that the Afghan Women’s Road Championships will again be held this year. The event will take place from 25 to 27 June as part of the 2026 French Elite Road Championships, organised from 25 to 28 June by the French Cycling Federation (Fédération Française de Cyclisme - FFC) in Les Vals du Dauphiné – La Tour-du-Pin, in the French department of Isère.
After an edition organised in 2022, when 50 refugee athletes competed in a road race exceptionally organised in Aigle, Switzerland, by the UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC), the Afghanistan Cycling Federation, the Tour du Pays de Vaud Organising Committee and the Municipality of Aigle, another edition of the event was held in 2025 as part of the French Elite Road Championships in Les Herbiers, in the department of Vendée. Both the road race and the individual time trial were won by Fariba Hashimi.
The event organised in 2022 was part of the ongoing efforts of the UCI and its partners to provide support and assistance to the Afghanistan Cycling Federation following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021 and the consequences this had for part of the country’s population, particularly women. In 2021, several evacuation operations were carried out either by the UCI or its partners, enabling 165 Afghan citizens to leave the country.
Two events will feature on the programme of the 2026 Afghanistan Women’s Road Championships: a 29.7km individual time trial (433m of elevation gain) on Thursday 25 June and a 111.4km road race (1,539m of elevation gain) on Saturday 27 June.
The Afghan riders will contest both races alongside their French counterparts competing in their National Championships, and a separate classification including only the Afghan athletes will be established to determine the results of the 2026 AfghanWomen’s Road Championships.
Three athletes will take part in the 2026 Afghan Women’s Elite Road Championships (road race and individual time trial): Fariba Hashimi, Zahra Rezayee and Samira Ehrari.
The UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) – the UCI’s training and education centre – will contribute to the successful organisation of the 2026 Afghanistan Women’s Road Championships by covering the travel of the Afghan athletes and their staff, their accommodation on site and race support.
UCI President David Lappartient said: “In the extremely difficult circumstances currently faced by women in Afghanistan, it is essential that these athletes can continue practising the sport they are passionate about at the highest level. Thanks to the valuable support of the Fédération Française de Cyclisme and the commitment of the UCI World Cycling Centre, the best Afghan cyclists will once again be able to compete in their National Championships, even while far from their homeland. This is both a powerful symbol and a concrete commitment to ensuring that Afghan women’s cycling continues to thrive. I would like to thank the FFC and its President Michel Callot for their initiative, which reflects the values of fraternity, respect and solidarity that underpin our sport.”
President of the Fédération Française de Cyclisme Michel Callot said: “Organising National Championships for athletes who are deprived of the opportunity to do so themselves is an act of hospitality consistent with the values of sport. The Fédération Française de Cyclisme is proud to join forces with the UCI to highlight the courage of Afghan women and provide them with a means of expression. It is our duty of solidarity to respond to the request of our International Federation by once again opening our National Championships to those who, in their own country, are no longer able to practise their sport freely.”
Afghanistan’s 2025 road race and individual time trial champion Fariba Hashimi, who recently completed the Giro d’Italia Women in the National Champion’s jersey, said: “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who has made the 2026 Afghan Women’s Road Championships possible. This opportunity shows that the UCI does not leave any country behind and truly believes in the progress and future of women in sport. I would also like to sincerely thank France for once again hosting the Championships. This event is much more than a race for Afghan women cyclists - it is a symbol of hope, courage, unity, and freedom.
“I have had the great honour of wearing the Afghanistan Champion jersey, and it has been one of the proudest experiences of my life. Racing in the Giro d’Italia Women wearing this jersey shows the world that Afghanistan and Afghan women still have a place in international sport and in the global cycling community.”