This International Women’s Day, we shine a spotlight on Imogen Cotter – one of Ireland’s most accomplished female professional cyclists. In her own words, she reflects on her remarkable career, the challenges she has faced, and her journey into retirement…
“Cycling has brought me on many unexpected journeys in my life. I found cycling when I was aged 24, living in London and fresh out of university. I stumbled across an advert on Facebook from Cycling Ireland – they were opening up their talent identification programme. I absentmindedly filled out the form while I waited for a bus which was running late, on my way to my full-time job in a field I didn’t like in Central London. At the time, I was a decent runner, but this advert caught my eye – there was something called a velodrome on it (what was that?) and I saw a chance to represent Ireland and wear the Irish colours. (who could turn that down?)
I was in that weird stage of life in which you’re trying to adjust to life outside the rigid structures of the educational system, unsure of what’s next to come and what path you should take. Maybe cycling would give me the chance to achieve my dream of being a professional athlete? Maybe it would mean I could stop interviewing for (and getting rejected from) jobs in recruitment?
Less than a year later, I was a successful graduate from the talent identification programme, living in Mallorca with the Cycling Ireland team, and knew every turn and wooden plank on the velodrome like the back of my hand. It happened so quickly.
Twelve months later, I had moved to Belgium, and was riding with a club team, cutting my teeth in cycling against professional riders. I was naïve – I didn’t know how much I didn’t know! I was lucky, because it turns out I knew basically nothing about racing. But there was no better place to learn than the Mecca of bike racing. I worked in a bakery, as a cleaner and as a postlady, all to fund my dream of going pro.
Less than a year after that, I found myself progressing through the ranks of virtual racing on Zwift, while the cycling world found itself on pause during the Covid 19 pandemic. I grew incredibly strong from this training. There’s nowhere to hide when it comes to online racing, it’s based purely on strength and grit – and I had both by the bucketload!
A year later, my dreams had finally come true. In October 2021, I won the National Championships, and the following month, I signed my first professional contract. The hard work I had been putting in for years was finally recognised! I was on the cusp of something great, and it felt like everything was coming together. I made the decision to base myself in Northern Spain for the winter, to give myself the best possible training period before I started competing in races I had only ever dreamed of.
Unfortunately, life took a turn when three weeks into my pro contract, I was hit by a van driving on the wrong side of the road while I was out training. I was lucky to survive, but the path I had before me suddenly looked very different. Instead of watts and cadence and fuelling, my life became about surgery and physio and recovery. Instead of fighting to be the first up a climb, I was struggling to walk or dress myself. I spoke about my journey to recovery in a cycle safety campaign with Škoda Ireland the RSA, and I am passionate about campaigning for safer roads for cyclists.
Against all odds and after five tough surgeries, I thankfully found myself pinning a number on again in October of that year. In hindsight, it was far too soon, but all that had gotten me through my recovery was the dream of racing my bike again. Once I got back in the saddle, I was on autopilot. I had recovered physically, and I wanted to concentrate on being the best cyclist I could be again. In fact, throughout 2023, I didn’t slow down to check in on how I was doing mentally at all. I signed with a new team for 2024, without even being sure if this was what I really wanted to do anymore. I had spent so long trying to turn professional, that stopping now felt like failure, even though I was well and truly burnt out from the arduous recovery.
I ignored the alarm bells for too long, and eventually, my body had just had enough. In February 2024, in the middle of a race, my body just gave up – I could no longer push my pedals. My legs were shaking, I was crying, I was totally empty. My nervous system was fried, and I no longer associated the bike with all the wonderful things I had before my crash: freedom, peace, and adventure. Instead, I was thinking of morbidity, crashes and serious injury. It was time to stop and truly heal. Less than one month later, I retired from the professional peloton and started EMDR therapy.
This step was life-changing for me. Although a very intense and exhausting therapy, it is worth every difficult and emotional session. After a social media hiatus and months of EMDR, I was able to pick up my bike again and truly take pleasure in the peace of mind it brought me. Although my relationship with professional cycling was changed, I now discovered what gets people into cycling in the first place – the joy of riding at my own pace, stopping to take the views in, grabbing a coffee afterwards. Without the pressure of performance, a whole new world had opened up to me, and I have been enjoying the bike more and more ever since.
While cycling has brought me some difficult and challenging times, I can’t overlook the opportunities and growth it has provided me with. 24-year-old me could never imagine the places I would go to and the path I would take in life, all thanks to cycling. This year alone, I have adventures planned in Spain, Switzerland and Canada on my bike. Now, when I am cycling, I feel free and empowered. I feel hopeful for the young girls around Ireland who have picked up the bike and dared to start racing, because there are pathways open to female cyclists that didn’t exist when I started. I am proud to have been a part of the community of strong female cyclists which have come out of Ireland, and I look forward to following the next generation!”
Ireland’s future in women’s cycling has never looked brighter! We chatted to Limerick’s very own Fiona Mangan to hear about her inspiring road racing journey and brilliant successes.
