Clare cyclist Cotter continues on long road to recovery

As Imogen Cotter talks to The Clare Champion from sunny Spain, the Ruan cyclist should be in the midst of a seminal year of her career.

The struggle and the sacrifices for her to earn a professional contract were rewarded when Belgian based team Plantur Pura asked the 29-year-old to compete for them this year after a rapid upturn in the Clare cyclist’s form towards the latter half of 2021.

Cotter should be living the dream. Although the Ruan woman tries to maintain a positive attitude, it is fair to say that the past few months have saw her endure her fair share of nightmares.

As she was warming to the task of riding professionally for the first time in her career, a routine cycle around the Catalonian region almost saw her lose her life.

A van overtook another cyclist on the opposite side of the road and collided head on with her. The Clare cyclist suffered a broken radius, ulna (both forearm) and right patella (knee).

Without competing in a single race as a professional, Cotter had endured a life changing incident on the bike which was going to dramatically affect her life off it.

As the injuries continue to heal, she admits the recovery has been slow as she tries to navigate the health system in another country. She is grateful for the recommendation from a neighbour of hers, Dutch athlete Youri Keulen, to travel to Belgium and see Dr Steven Claes.

Since we last spoke to Cotter in February, she admits the road to recovery has been arduous but the work of Dr Claes in helping her knee to recover has helped her regain a sense of normality.

“Where I live I’m surrounded by professional athletes. An athlete from the Netherlands (Keulen), wasn’t happy with what he was seeing with my knee so he told me that I needed to see a knee specialist in Belgium. I emailed my team and they were happy for me to travel to Belgium. Where this guy works is the Mecca for cyclists who are injured.”

“I went in and had a consultation with him. He’s known as a knee God in the cycling world and now I know why. He got rid of scar tissue and found there was a bit of the bike still in my knee joint so that was removed too.”

“I doubled my ROM (range of motion) in my knee in one operation. This was something that I hadn’t hoped for in my dreams. It was such a relief and after I stayed in Belgium following the surgery, I went back to Girona and was able to get back on the bike.”

Cotter was able to use Zwift, a computer-generated training and racing platform to regain the confidence that took a massive hit as a result of her crash.

As her strength and mobility continued to improve, the Clare native cycled using a Range of Motion pedal which allowed her to pedal even when she did not enjoy a huge degree of flexibility in her knee.

She was able to continue her recovery initially in Belgium before returning to Giorna and cycling on roads again, something she feared that she would never be able to do. Cotter admits she was apprehensive but feels her commitment post surgery has made this a reality.

“It was funny initially after the surgery I was cycling on a turbo in a hotel room. I rented a room for two weeks and I was finding the rehab really challenging at the time. My movement was so restricted and the pain was unbelievable. I kept working on my physio exercises and eventually I built my strength back up.”

“Cycling outdoors was a big step for me. Two friends of mine Freya Rawlins and Mary Spender really helped me to get back cycling and I’ve been taking small but important steps.

“They would cycle with me for an hour. I’d cycle 20km/h which is really slow but it’s all about taking these steps. A triathlete friend of mine then suggested I try cleats. Now I just pick them up and go but it was scary back then when clipping them in.”

Cotter has cycled past the spot where she was struck by the van. Although this was something which the Plantur Pura rider had not planned, she insists that she won’t change her cycling routes just to avoid the area.

“I just naturally went there. You can let these things take an emotional hold. You decide how much power you let these things take over you. It’s just a piece of road. I’m not going to avoid it because of what happened before.”

Since our interview, Cotter has underwent a scheduled wrist surgery, her second one since the accident. Last year’s National champion needed to get two big plates removed from her right wrist which is hoped will greatly improve her movement in her wrist.

“There is a metal plate in my ulna blocking my movement. I can’t wave to people and I can’t put suncream on. I wanted to put this off for longer because I was making all the little steps forward. I feel this is the best thing for me so I have to take two steps back after the recent progress.”

Before the latest surgery, Cotter was cranking up her preparations for a return to competitive racing. She is honest enough to admit that she needs to not just prepare physically but also mentally.

“I have started working with a sports psychologist. I’m working with her on the PTSD from the crash. I’m not over the crash but I have to accept that it is a chapter of my life that I’m living with. I’m not going to allow myself to be scared of cars or racing competitively again.”

Enduring the 3.30am starts which came with working for the Belgian postal service and completing eight hour shifts at a bakery all led her to fulfilling her dream of earning a professional contract this year.

Her inability to compete as a professional this year has allowed her to focus on her own personal growth. A common problem for elite athletes is allowing their profession to define who they are and how they feel.

Cotter believes that being able to rely on her support network while rehabbing her injuries has helped her to find joy in the things that she previously would have taken for granted.

“Whether it’s grabbing a coffee with a friend or journaling what I’ve been through, I find these things a bit cleansing. I try to find a piece of joy in everyday although I know some days can be harder than others.”

“It has been a really eye opening experience. I’m really lucky that the people here in Girona share the same passion for cycling although it’s not all we talk about. My family have been so brilliant too. Nothing has changed our dynamic. Phoebe (her sister) came to Belgium which was great because rehab and physio can be lonely. I’m lucky to have great support around me.”