Imogen Cotter will tomorrow line up in the biggest race
of her career to date when she goes elbow to elbow with the top names in the
sport at the Tour of Flanders.
The Co Clare rider has been based in Belgium since last
year and this season has competed in the colours of the Keukens Redant elite team.
She took a fantastic win in Zolder in July, ahead of some very good pros, and her racing in recent months has caught the eye of the UCI-ranked team Ciclotel.
It has taken her
on for a stagiaire, or trial, for what remains of the season. And her first
race will be the Tour of Flanders tomorrow.
It’s nothing short of an epic debut in the pro peloton for the 27-year-old Irish woman after what she calls “a crazy few years”.
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The stagiaire
with Ciclotel is a very significant step in her career; a fantastic achievement
for a woman who came to the sport late, though she has a cycling tradition in
her family.
Many of our
(slightly) older readers will remember Cotter’s uncle, Scottish international
rider Jamie McGahan, winning Rás Tailteann in 1981 while another uncle, Ronan
Cotter, rode Rás Tailteann several times.
Imogen Cotter’s
racing career began at Rás na mBan at the end of 2017. And she has progressed
in the short time since then to the Tour of Flanders; phenomenal development in
just three seasons.
When she came
home to Ireland for the National Road Championships last year and rode away
from everyone with Alice Sharpe it was clear Cotter’s development had shot
forward by a huge margin.
Sharpe beat her
in the two-up sprint for the gold medal in Derry and now the duo will be part
of the same team for the Tour of Flanders tomorrow.
Irish road and track international Sharpe has been riding for Ciclotel this year; her second season with a UCI team.
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New team mates Sharpe and Cotter will be the first Irish women to ride the race; a nice piece of Irish cycling history being made at the end of a troubled season.
Asked by
stickybottle if she was daunted by the thoughts of lining out against the big
name riders on such a big stage, Cotter said she would take the day as it comes
and, sensibly, is not over-analysing it.
“I haven’t
really given it too much thought. I’m just trying to focus on my own races and
what I can do,” she said.
“I think if I started to think about (the top pros) performance it would do me no favours. It’s my first WorldTour race so I just need the experience.”
And while the
Tour of Flanders is obviously such a big juncture for her, the stagiaire is not
just about one race.
“Ronde van Vlaanderen
is obviously tomorrow and then Brugge
de Panne on Tuesday and after that a stage race in France. but who knows
if that will go ahead given all the restrictions coming into effect. And after that, the season is over,” she said.
“I’m
delighted about it,” Cotter added of
getting a chance with Ciclotel, even if Covid-19 has hit the European racing
scene hard this year.
“It was a
really long lockdown for me in Ireland.
I was indoors on the turbo for the best
part of three months and was really unsure of my form coming back to Belgium,” she explained.
“I’ve been
really happy with my season so far with Keukens Redant and I’m just looking
forward to throwing myself in at the deep end with these next races.
“I’m really
grateful for the opportunity from Ciclotel. It’s a level of racing that is
above what I’m used to.
“But I can’t wait
for the experience, especially the Ronde. It’s a race people only dream of doing so I’m just going to enjoy it all.”
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