Wendy Houvenaghel: Rider Profile

WENDY HOUVENAGHEL

Date of birth: 27/11/1974

From: Magherafelt, Northern Ireland

Disciplines: Track (individual and team pursuit), time trial

Team: Bike Chain Ricci/Sky

Wendy Houvenaghel career profile

Houvenaghel - like many of the British Olympians - manages to combine track and road riding but specialises in the former.

Houvenaghel initially qualified for the RAF and only took up cycling in 2002 as a means of accompanying her husband on rides as a recovery method from running.

Winning the national pursuit title in 2005 brought her to the attention of British Cycling and she went on to win a silver medal in her first ever track World Cup event. Three successive pursuit World Cup titles in 2005, 2006 and 2007 followed as Houvenaghel showed her enormous potential.

2008 was Houvenaghel's finest season to date, when she formed part of the World-championship-winning pursuit team in Manchester and went on to score a silver medal in the individual pursuit in Beijing, losing out to team-mate, Rebecca Romero.

At the Manchester Track World Cup round in 2009, Houvenaghel won both the individual and team pursuit races (with Jo Rowsell and Lizzie Armitstead), the latter setting a new world record.

Houvenaghel is also a strong time-triallist on the road, with numerous British titles to her name.

Wendy Houvenaghel results

2012

Track World Cup, London; team pursuit

Celtic Chrono

Chrono Champenois

2011

Track World Cup, Manchester; team pursuit

Track World Championships; team pursuit

British time trial champion

Track World Cup, Cali; team pursuit

2010

Track World Cup; individual pursuit, overall



2009

World champion, team pursuit

Chrono Champenois Féminin

Track World Cup, Manchester, individual pursuit

Track World Cup, Manchester, team pursuit

Track World Cup, Melbourne, individual pursuit



2008

World champion, team pursuit

Track World Cup, Manchester, pursuit gold

Silver medal, individual pursuit Beijing Olympics

2007

Track World Cup champion, pursuit

British TT champion

British champion, pursuit

2006

Track World Cup champion, pursuit

Track World Cup, Moscow, pursuit gold

British 10-mile TT champion

British 25-mile TT champion

2005

Track World Cup champion, pursuit

Track World Cup, Sydney, pursuit gold

British champion, pursuit

British 10-mile TT champion

British 25-mile TT champion

2004

British 10-mile TT champion

British 25-mile TT champion

Wendy Houvenaghel photos

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RELATED LINKS

Cycling Weekly's Rider Profiles: Index