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.
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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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