International Women's Day with Imogen Alton

For International Women's Day, CWRB and The Wheelhouse is proud to bring you the story of an incredible young woman, Imogen Alton.

From Zwift Academy finalist, to Australian Team representative, Imogen Alton's rise in world cycling has been an impressive one. Far from being a smooth road to success, her story is one of grit and determination, paved with devastating grief, a broken body, and a deep reflection on her purpose.

You were a rower before - why the switch to cycling?

I was told by a coach that I was a heavyweight rower, and the only way I'd be competitive is if I went lightweight. So, I dropped a ridiculous amount of weight, and I was flying. We get to Queensland States... And I pass out and wake up in a pool of my own vomit. My blood test showed I was deficient in every fat soluble vitamin. It was a really serious intervention.

But my friend had quit rowing and had gone back to his original sport: cycling. He told me, "you should come and do these uni rides. We just go get coffee".

How much do you think the sport plays into physical and mental wellbeing, and body image?

It's definitely in the sport, but there are societal pressures outside. Like as a young girl, there are societal expectations for me to look and be a certain way.

So not only do I have the pressures to look like a cyclist, there's also "Oh, well, I want to be a skinny mini pretty girl", you know? And I think not only is that just for girls, but guys as well. I don't think it's just the sport.

But I think the sport does play a big part in it. And I think that the people you surround yourself with also play a really big part in that too.

You were a valued member of the Australian Esports team for the World Champs! What was it like getting your green and gold virtual and online?

I can't say I expected the first time I'd be wearing the green and gold to be on an indoor bike. But I also didn't think that I would be in cycling full stop. So it was just such a quick turnaround, something I didn't expect could happen this year, in light of everything. It was an unbelievable experience that I'll remember for the rest of my life.

You'd been diagnosed with REDS (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport). Can you tell us a bit about that?

It comes from training lots and not eating enough to fuel your training. There's no energy for your body to do the things that it needs to do for you to live. My body just started shutting down. It's like when your laptop is out of charge, it goes into low power mode.

So then came the journey of recovery which can take years to repair. I didn't think that competing would be in the foreseeable future.

It's an incredible journey to go from such a low in terms of the diagnosis to a relative high in your career with the Zwift Academy finals!

It just came up on my dashboard! "Oh, Zwift Academy", I thought. "I'll give it a go". I didn't think anything of it. Zwift Academy is about six workouts that secretly test for certain parameters. So one was the time trial and then the other was this insanely hard workout.

I had to do it twice - I couldn't get through it the first time, it was that difficult. And then I got an email saying "You're in contention to be a finalist."

It sounds like that was a pretty important avenue grieving. Tell us a bit about your mom because you were really close?

She passed away in July 2021, she had MND. She sacrificed so much for me so much for my siblings for us to pursue our sporting endeavours. Any race I do, I think of her anytime I need to push myself I think of her.

Any when I have I think of her. It all comes back to her and what she did for me and what she sacrificed for me, so I can do those things.

Want to catch the full interview? Join Kate in the bunker as she talks to Imogen and chat's through her remarkable life to date.