Imogen Cotter secures new contract one year after horror crash

She lost almost the entirety of last season due to serious injuries but Imogen Cotter has been given further opportunity with a contract extension for 2023. The 29-year-old has been confirmed as part of the renamed Fenix Deceuninck squad’s new development team, and will compete again as a UCI Continental rider in the coming months.

The-then Irish road race champion was training in Girona last January and suffered several fractures when she was hit by the driver of a speeding car. She underwent a total of five operations in 2022 and still has limited use of one wrist. She worked hard to rebuild some fitness and did a total of 10 days of racing between September and October with her then Plantur Pura squad.

The rebranded team has rewarded that commitment with a new contract.

“I did my hardest to get back racing for them,” said Cotter. “It was always in the back of my mind that what I was pushing through all of the physio for, pushing through all of the surgery and the pain for, was to get back on my bike to do my job for the team. That was what got me through the hardest times.”

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Fenix Deceuninck will field two squads this year. It will step up to the WorldTour level for the first time, and continue to have a Continental team. Cotter will compete with the latter, but has her eyes set firmly on moving up to the top tier for 2024.