Imogen Cotter may have suffered a major set-back this week after being hit by a driver while she was training in Spain, but the response to her problems has been very positive.
A fundraising drive has been launched online for Cotter to help her through this very challenging period. And while an initial €5,000 goal was set down, the GoFundMe campaign created just yesterday had raised €15,000 at the the time of writing early on Friday afternoon.
Just over 520 people had donated, which is clear proof Cotter has made a connection with many people in cycling who now want to support her. The Clare woman is also the national Irish road race champion and a pro rider this year with Plantur-Pura team, which has resulted in her crash being covered by many international cycling media outlets.
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One of her cycling friends Alina Jäger, who is also based in Girona, started the fundraising campaign for Cotter saying she faced a tough path ahead as she had suffered a broken arm and broken kneecap when hit head-on by a driver overtaking another cyclist on Wednesday.
"By supporting this campaign you are going to help a professional athlete who has been working so hard to live her dream. Imogen trains so dedicated and sacrifices a huge part of her life to become the best athlete she can be," Jäger said.
"She is inspiring so many people on- and offline. She needs your support more than ever as she takes on the biggest challenge of her life."
Cotter (27) now faces a long recovery before she can begin training again and return to racing, though it was too early to say when that may happen. The crash also means she will not be able to represent Ireland at the UCI Esports World Championships next month, though she has said he feels lucky to be alive.
