{"id":20239,"title":"Imogen Cotter","description":"It was a miracle that she survived the accident that would result in four surgical operations. Now she's back and more determined than ever. Meet the Plantur Pura professional, former Irish champion, Imogen Cotter. She's one tough cyclist.","content":"

Published in<\/strong>: COBBLES & CLASSICS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>

Update 15 April 2024<\/strong>: Imogen Cotter announced her retirement from professional cycling due to the continued emotional trauma caused by her near-death accident. Imogen has recently been campaigning for improved road safety awareness on Irish TV. Read the original article below to discover what a remarkable person she is.<\/p>

It was a miracle that Imogen Cotter survived the accident that would result in four surgical operations. Now she's back and more determined than ever.<\/span><\/p>

Meet the Plantur Pura professional, and former Irish champion, Imogen Cotter. She's one tough cyclist.<\/span><\/p>

\"ImogenDetermination is the essential ingredient of all top athletes. Many professional cyclists retire not when their bodies are too old but when they lack the necessary desire. Irish legend Sean Kelly admitted as much. Towards the end of his career, he\u2019d turn for home early on training rides. Planned six-hour rides would become four.<\/span><\/p>

Lack of determination is not something that compatriot Imogen Cotter suffers from. The 2021 Irish road champion\u2019s eyes sparkle with it. Her very presence exudes tenacity and perseverance. She\u2019s determined to recover from the horrific accident that almost cost her life, to represent Ireland at the Olympics, and to repay her Plantur Pura team for their support.<\/span><\/p>

Rural Irish childhood<\/h3>

I was keen to understand what drives the Plantur Pura professional on her quest to overcome misfortune and reach her best-ever level.<\/span><\/p>

Would I find the roots of her desire in her rural childhood? It seemed like a good place to start.<\/span><\/p>

\"ImogenImogen turned professional for Plantur Pura after winning the Irish Championships. Image: Imogen Cotter<\/em><\/p>

Imogen was born in London but her parents didn\u2019t want her to grow up there. Instead, they returned to the town of Ruan in the West of Ireland 20 kilometres from the Atlantic coastline.<\/span><\/p>

It\u2019s quintessentially rural Ireland. Rugged, green and beautiful. Dry stone walls line the approach to the village where you\u2019ll find, as Imogen describes \u201ceverything we needed\u201d.<\/span><\/p>

Two pubs, a church, a shop and a school. It\u2019s a place where everybody knows everybody. She depicts it as the best childhood where she and her two sisters felt utterly protected. Long summer days spent playing in hay fields. The only limits placed upon them were their imaginations.<\/span><\/p>

Super invested<\/h3>

By the age of sixteen, she\u2019d become a keen swimmer, often cycling thirteen kilometres to the swimming pool on Saturday mornings. At her dad\u2019s suggestion, she took up triathlons. She quickly excelled but decided to focus on running.<\/span><\/p>

\"ImogenImogen excelled at running but was injury-prone. Image: Imogen Cotter<\/em><\/p>

Whilst it took her away from the bike, it proved to be pivotal in her development as an athlete. Imogen portrays the volunteer coaches as \u201csuper invested\u201d. She doesn\u2019t think they realise the impact they\u2019ve had on her career.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cno bullshit\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>

They ignited the smouldering desire that lay within her. She loved their \u201cno bullshit\u201d approach and relished their direct method. Upon asking one coach for advice before a race, they replied in terms that will be familiar to anyone who\u2019s watched the 1999 film Angela\u2019s Ashes. It\u2019s a coarser version of Nike\u2019s strapline \u201cjust do it\u201d.<\/span><\/p>

Injury Ccycle<\/h3>

Leaving school, Imogen studied Sports Science at Limerick University and continued running. But she started to question why she was studying. By then she\u2019d been consumed with the ambition to become a full-time athlete.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Unfortunately, the more she trained, the more she was stuck in a revolving cycle of injury, recovery, training and repeated injury. After graduating from Limerick she moved to London and worked in a busy pub and for the NHS. Her running career looked as if it had run out of steam.<\/span><\/p>

Track cyclist<\/h3>

But luck can be kind and cruel and serendipity can be the patron saint of Facebook users. Imogen\u2019s mother spotted a post by Cycling Ireland inviting athletes to cross-train from other sports.<\/span><\/p>

\"ImogenImogen is proud to represent Ireland. Image: Imogen Cotter<\/em><\/p>

Imogen may never have applied had she not been stuck waiting for a London bus. She used the time to complete the application. Soon she received the call to undergo testing back in Ireland. Having passed, she was given a six-week training programme.<\/span><\/p>

Returning to London, she combined work with a gruelling training schedule. Starting at 4 am, she\u2019d train for four hours on a Watt bike and then start work as an NHS receptionist.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cRiding on her dad\u2019s bike\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

Riding on her dad\u2019s bike she included the obligatory laps of Regents Park. Riding in London was never something she enjoyed but Imogen accepted it as a necessity.<\/span><\/p>

Her improvement was so marked that she was called up to train with the Irish track team in Majorca. Whilst Ireland has a track programme, it has little money. Athletes are expected to pay their way. It\u2019s reminiscent of the UK prior to the days of Lottery funding.<\/span><\/p>

Initially, all the athletes slept in dormitory-like conditions but many like Imogen struggled to sleep with constant noise and disturbance.<\/span><\/p>

Bank of Mum and Dad<\/h3>

With a few fellow athletes, they took up rooms in a mountain village but at a price. Her parents paid the \u00a3300 monthly rent. It was not something she was comfortable with, living off the \u201cbank of Mum and Dad\u201d.<\/span><\/p>

Imogen describes them as the best of parents, highly supportive whilst never pushy. They understood and never questioned her commitment.<\/span><\/p>

\"ImogenImogen now lives in Girona. Image: Imogen Cotter<\/em><\/p>

The period leading up to the European track championships was a cauldron of intense pressure where, as Imogen explains, \u201cthe difference between a good and bad day is measured in milliseconds\u201d.<\/span><\/p>

Once again, fate intervened. She could see the writing on the wall when a late addition was made to the team. By mutual agreement, she left the programme in August 2018. By September, without any prior road racing experience, she\u2019d landed in the world\u2019s best and hardest cycling school - Flanders.<\/span><\/p>

In Flanders Fields<\/h3>

Looking back, she concludes that had she known what to expect, she\u2019d almost certainly have just returned to Ireland. From no road racing experience to riding in huge bunches where riders constantly rub shoulders and hopping onto the pavement is considered normal.<\/span><\/p>

\"ImogenImogen knows what it takes to be a top bike rider. Image: Imogen Cotter<\/em><\/p>

Never mind the constant bends of kermess races and the dreaded \u201ctrench of death\u201d between slabs of concrete. But she loved the experience. Road racing in Flanders is such an integral part of the community. Even the lowliest of racers will have their fans and foreign riders are always a particular draw.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cinterrupted by the odd fractured sternum\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

Surviving her first experience of Flanders-style racing, Imogen returned in 2019 for a full season riding for S-Bikes Bodhi. It was the first time she had her own bike. Prior to then, she\u2019d always ridden her dad\u2019s. It was a season interrupted by the odd fractured sternum and separated radius.<\/span><\/p>

But like Monty Python\u2019s Black Knight, Imogen shrugged them off as mere scratches. She\u2019d found employment in a bakery and as a postie. Apparently, the latter is quite a common occupation for aspirant amateurs. Starting at 4:30 am they clock off at midday and then train in the afternoon.<\/span><\/p>

I like to imagine the local postmaster apologising to villagers that their regular postie had turned pro\u2019 and the post might be later in future.<\/span><\/p>

Stagiaire<\/h3>

And then like everyone, her world was turned upside down by the onset of Covid in 2020. Back in Ireland, prevented from training on the roads, she turned to Zwift and found upon returning to Belgium in late summer that she was \u2018flying\u2019. She took her first win in Flanders even though her climbing skills are not best suited to kermess races.<\/span><\/p>

\"ImogenImogen took her first Flemish win in 2020. Image: Imogen Cotter<\/em><\/p>

By autumn, however, the early starts and intense training had taken their toll. Her coach advised her against riding but she\u2019d drawn the attention of the Ciclotel UCI Continental team. The team included Kim de Baat, 2022 Belgian Road Race Champion, Northern Ireland\u2019s Alice Sharpe, twice winner of the Irish Road Race Championships and Britain\u2019s Hayley Simmonds.<\/span><\/p>

Sporting Director Heidi Van De Vijver, a former winner of the Tour de la CEE f\u00e9minin, offered her a contract as a stagiaire until the end of the season. Within two weeks of signing the contract, she was scheduled to ride Ronde van Vlaanderen and Brugge De Panne.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cfull-on kicking\u201d<\/strong><\/p>

On one hand, it felt like her dreams were materialising, on the other, she knew she was in for a \u201cfull-on kicking\u201d. Exhausted and out of condition she could expect nothing else unless a miracle occurred. Which it didn\u2019t. She was unable to finish either race. Still, Heidi held out the prospect of a full contract for 2021 with Ciclotel. And then the team folded.<\/span><\/p>

Moving on<\/h3>

It was back to the drawing board and back to Flanders for 2021 with the Keukens Redant team. However, her love of living in Belgium was drawing to a close.<\/span><\/p>

A change in her personal circumstances combined with a struggle to succeed in races that didn\u2019t suit her were the catalyst. Flanders is the best place to learn to race, but it\u2019s not ideally suited to a climber with a surfeit of slow-twitch muscles.<\/span><\/p>

\"ImogenImogen was selected for the Movistar e-Team. Image: Imogen Cotter<\/em><\/p>

Her coach suggested switching to Zwift racing to reinvigorate her form and enthusiasm. It was an inspired decision as she revelled in the intensity of the competition which resulted in her joining the Movistar e-Team.<\/span><\/p>

She was invited to ride in Girona by Movistar\u2019s bike supplier Canyon. She loved the town and surrounding countryside, especially the mountainous terrain.<\/span><\/p>

Canyon supplies the road bikes to Plantur Pura, although the cyclocross riders, such as Sanne Cant and Millie Couzens, use Stevens bikes.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cImogen would be a paid professional\u201d<\/strong><\/p>

Canyon recommended Imogen to Plantur Pura where she was reunited with Heidi Van De Vijver as sporting director. A contract was agreed upon for 2022. For the first time in her life, after years of thwarted ambition, Imogen would be a paid professional.<\/span><\/p>

Irish National Championships<\/h3>

Returning home to Ireland for the 2021 National Championships, Imogen was in a confident mood. She knew her condition was great. She could feel it \u201cfrom her head to toes\u201d. It was as if all the setbacks, the adversity and devotion to her path had brought her to this moment.<\/span><\/p>

\"ImogenImogen (right) piles on the pressure in the Wicklow Mountains. Image: Imogen Cotter<\/em><\/p>

She was so convinced that she wanted all those around her to share in the belief. Like a Gospel preacher, she implored her mother to repeat the mantra \u201cYou will win. You will win.\u201d Have faith mother and sisters. I will win. Unsurprisingly, her mother was somewhat reluctant. Her motherly protectionist instincts, rather than a lack of support, held her back.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

The National Championships were held in the beautiful \u201cGarden of Ireland\u201d, County Wicklow. It\u2019s an area famed for its greenness, the largely untouched pastoral landscape, waterfalls and mountains with fantastical names like Great Sugar Loaf.<\/span><\/p>

The beguiling beauty of the Wicklow mountains lends itself to cinematography. Numerous films have been made in the area. So much so, that local legend tells that when the bank in nearby Rathdrum was held up by armed robbers, residents enquired whether there were parts as extras.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cunleashed a powerful sprint\u201d<\/strong><\/p>

After a flatter first part, the hilly nature of the second half enabled Imogen to whittle the leading contenders down to five. Using her climbing strengths, she pushed on again to reduce this to two. Descending like a daredevil she ensured the potentially better sprinters would stay out of contention. Her rivals were easily beaten as she unleashed a powerful sprint to take her first national title.<\/span><\/p>

She was ecstatic. Her destiny was finally fulfilled. Feted by the papers, hailed by her local sports clubs and invited to talk to schools, she was in her own private heaven. With a contract for the next year riding for Plantur Pura in her back pocket, the future looked not only bright but golden.<\/span><\/p>

Accident<\/h3>

I asked Imogen if she was prepared to talk about the accident that would befall her barely three months later. I\u2019m aware that thinking about past trauma can be extremely stressful and upsetting. Whilst she talked about the crash and the aftermath, she confessed that she tried to avoid dwelling on it.<\/span><\/p>

\"TheDespite a horrific accident, a day after Imogen was smiling. Image: Imogen Cotter<\/em><\/p>

To describe the crash as an accident is incorrect. A barely qualified 19-year-old motorist drove at her on the wrong side of the road. He hit her head-on. That she survived at all is miraculous. Six months and four operations later she\u2019s riding again. Her season was ruined, her wrist perhaps permanently damaged. Only time will tell.<\/span><\/p>

To add to the injustice that every cyclist will understand, the driver, unsurprisingly, suffered no injuries. Neither will he face any legal consequences. Under Spanish law, he has not committed a criminal offence.<\/span><\/p>

The driver and his parents have never offered an apology, expressed any regret nor displayed any empathy for her plight. This lack of humanity hurts Imogen deeply and exacerbates her emotional pain.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cBold as brass she politely announced herself\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>

As it has yet to be established whether she will suffer a permanent disability, the compensatory process moves ever slowly. Her only act of vengeance is to introduce herself to the miscreant\u2019s parents in Girona. Bold as brass she politely announced herself. Their discomfort was as clear as their desire to avoid her.<\/span><\/p>

More driven<\/h3>

If Imogen\u2019s determination to continue her stalled professional career was diminished it would be understandable. On the contrary, it seems to have made her even more driven. Her days consist of training rides, recovery exercises, physiotherapy, rest and repeat.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cthe constant pain and exercise\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>

On the day I interviewed her, she\u2019d been training on the roads around Girona with Anna Kay, Millie Couzens and Abbie Manley, had two physio sessions and performed her extensive set of exercises. She\u2019s cheerful and engaging as we talk, but admits the constant pain and exercises are both physically and mentally exhausting.<\/span><\/p>

Not being able to race in the Irish champion\u2019s jersey has been a particular source of sadness. Imogen describes the loss as being like grief. It was snatched away from her before she had the chance to appreciate it. She feels it\u2019s made her more determined and a more resilient person.<\/span><\/p>

Plantur Pura<\/h3>

Imogen is impressed by the Plantur Pura setup. Not only is the team truly professional but the riders too. Despite being unable to race since her National Championships victory, she\u2019s kept in regular contact.<\/span><\/p>

They\u2019ve continued to support her and crucially pay her. In a cycling world of unfulfilled contracts and unpaid riders, it\u2019s refreshing. The contrast with some supposedly professional teams is stark.<\/span><\/p>

\"UnableUnable to race, Imogen has done her utmost to promote the Plantur Pura through social media. Image: Imogen Cotter<\/em><\/p>

She portrays the sporting director Heidi Van De Vijver as one of the kindest people she has met. Her continued help and encouragement have been a tremendous support to Imogen.<\/span><\/p>

Although she\u2019s been unable to represent Plantur Pura on the road, Imogen has done her best to represent the team and the brand through her Instagram account to her 100 thousand followers. If at times inside she\u2019s felt angry, sad or just tired then she exudes a positive attitude to the wider world.<\/span><\/p>

The Future<\/h3>

Her short-term aim is to return to racing before the end of the season as long as the recovery continues to plan. I ask about her plans for the future. I suggest that at twenty-nine she has perhaps five years left as a professional athlete, although 39-year-old Annemiek van Vleuten appears to be just getting into her stride.<\/span><\/p>

\u201celoquent and articulate\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>

What of a post-cycling future? She\u2019s eloquent and articulate and speaks English, Irish and Dutch. Is a role as a presenter a possibility? It\u2019s certainly something she\u2019d be interested in.<\/span><\/p>

But as long as the passion and resolve continue to burn within Imogen, she can foresee racing for many years yet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Thank you to Imogen for her time. Go gcuire Dia an t-\u00e1dh ort.<\/span><\/p>

26 August 2022, Tim Costello.<\/span><\/p>


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