Following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul and the introduction of strict Sharia-based rules, Afghanistan’s women’s professional cycling team faces heightened threats. After the team’s situation changes from competing internationally to fearing for their lives, an “unprecedented” effort is carried out to move the cyclists out of Afghanistan. France 24 reports that reporters Matteo Born and Alain Rimbert recount how a covert plan was put in place to exfiltrate the athletes in complete secrecy. The operation is described as a response to the risk to the team’s safety and ability to participate in international competitions. The accounts focus on the abrupt shift in circumstances after the Taliban assumes control and the steps taken to relocate the cyclists away from Kabul. The reports characterize the exfiltration effort as exceptional in scale and secrecy, underscoring the urgency created by the new environment for women in Afghanistan. Across the sources, the central points are that the cyclists’ international future is disrupted, their danger increases rapidly, and a classified-style operation is used to help the team escape.