One of the revelations of the season to date, Imogen Cotter has been ruled out of taking her place on what would have been her first Irish team.
The 26-year-old, who competed in her first ever road race less than two years ago, was to be part of the Irish team for Kreiz Breizh stage race which began in France today.
However, she crashed the week before last at a leisure event. While the spill was not a major one she has been diagnosed with a fractured sternum.
That injury has necessitated a period on the sidelines and means she was unable to travel to Brittany for international duty.
Based in Belgium this year with SBikes Bodhi Cycling, Cotter had a fantastic return to home soil last month when she took silver at the national championships.
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She was part of the winning breakaway in the elite women’s road race, with the dual for gold and silver coming down to Cotter and Alice Sharpe.
And while Sharpe, now a pro rider with the UCI Word Cycling Centre team, just got the verdict, Cotter was a match for her all the way.
It was a breakthrough ride for her and proof that her move to Belgium this year has seen her develop into a top tier Irish athlete.
While she has now had to forego her place on the Irish
team in France, she should have time to recover in time for another block of
racing later in the season.
The opening stage of Rás na mBan in 2017 was her first road race and she is likely to return to Ireland to compete in that event again next month if recovered in time.
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