Reigning Irish road race champion Imogen Cotter says she feels "lucky to be alive" as she recovers from injuries sustained after being hit by a car while training.
The incident occurred in Spain on Wednesday and the 28-year-old said the vehicle "drove head-on straight into me at high speed" whilst it was overtaking a cyclist.
She required surgery last night after suffering injuries including a fractured kneecap and broken arm.
"Yesterday while out riding, I was hit by a car," Cotter, who is based in Girona, wrote on her Instagram account.
"The car was overtaking a cyclist on the other side of the road and drove head-on straight into me at high speed.
"I feel so lucky to be alive. I was taken by ambulance to hospital, where it appears I fractured my patella and broke my radius, as well as needing quite a few stitches. I had surgery late last night. I'm just so grateful to still be here to write this. It could have been so much worse."
Clare native Cotter rides for the Plantar-Pura team and became Irish senior women's road race champion after securing victory in Wicklow last October.
The collision suffered by Cotter is one of a recent series of training incidents which have left professional cyclists with serious injuries.
Earlier this week, 2019 Tour de France winner Egan Bernal underwent surgery on his spine following a serious crash suffered while he was training in his native Colombia.
Reports in Colombia said Bernal had struck a parked bus while riding at high speed close to his home in Bogota, with images showing the Ineos Grenadiers rider receiving treatment next to a heavily-dented vehicle.
Three-times Madison world champion Amy Pieters remains in an induced coma following a crash during training in Spain last month, her team SD Worx said earlier on Thursday.
The 30-year-old Dutch pro cyclist was put into a coma after doctors performed surgery to relieve pressure on her brain after the accident, which took place in Alicante on 23 December.
She was transported to a hospital in the Netherlands earlier this month to continue her treatment.
Additional reporting: Reuters
