Spotted on Facebook this morning: this article from Total Women's Cycling reporting that a group of Italian MPs have nominated the Afghan women's cycling team for the Nobel Peace Prize.

There have been a lot of odd nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize in the past - a quick Google reveals that Josef Stalin was nominated in 1945, and reportedly Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump has been put forward this year. So the nomination of a women's cycling team actually isn't that far out there. And they're far, far more worthy than a man who's been quoted as wanting to keep a whole religion out of his country.

There's a lot of great articles out there about the Afghan women's team, but most interesting is a blog by Shannon Galpin, a US mountain biker who works with women in conflict zones and has worked with and supported the team. They face all sorts of obstacles: from finding bikes and parts, to dealing with the cultural barriers to women cycling. They have competed regionally, and there are articles reporting that they're still hoping to make it to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

I suspect that's still a step too far, but the fact that there are women cycling in a country where women's rights are still deeply challenged is a massive thing. Just by getting on a bike - never mind training and racing - they're making a bold statement that women should and can do just what men do. I don't know if it'll be enough to scoop them a Nobel, but if cycling has given these women some personal freedom and confidence that's worth a huge amount.