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UCI World Track Cup Champion Wendy Houvenaghel
Story posted November 29, 2007
By Larry Hickmott
(Centre) Wendy Houvenaghel, UCI World Track Cup Champion in winning form at the Manchester World Track Cup with teammate Rebecca Romero (left) who took the Silver medal. Both are looking to make the GB team for Beijing and come away from those Olympics with more Gold.
The defending UCI World Track Cup Champion for the Women’s Pursuit is Britain’s own Wendy Houvenaghel. The rider who was fourth in the World Track Championships in 2007 has won the UCI World Cup twice for the Pursuit event, 2006 and 2005. The last rider to win two World Cup titles for the event (2003/04) is the now retired Olympic champion, Sarah Ulmer from New Zealand.
Working hard at Manchester last week and now in Australia preparing for the World Track Cup there, Wendy has her sights on emulating the New Zealand rider and starts her defence of the World Track Cup title (Pursuit) in Sydney riding for Science in Sport. Whilst Wendy was training at Manchester recently, British Cycling spoke to her a few days before she was due to jet off to Australia and she started by admitting that after two title wins in the World Track Cup, she is now very comfortable competing in the World Cup events.
This year’s World Track Cup Series though will see a lot more pressure on riders to do well with the World Cup carrying Olympic Games selection points. Unlike previous years, World Track Cup winners (individuals) will receive automatic selection for the 2008 Olympics provided they are selected by their country's Olympic association. This only applies to Track events. Individual World Champions from the Manchester World Championships 2008 will also earn an individual Olympic place. Wendy admits however that “I don’t think my emphasis will be on becoming the World Track Cup champion again with the World Championships being in Manchester next year.”
Like her GB teammate, Rebecca Romero, Wendy’s focus is on doing well at Manchester and from that, hopefully securing a place in the GB Cycling team for the Beijing Olympics. Back in September of this year, Wendy was on the road and preparing for the World Road Time Trial title and after that, returned back to the track to prepare for the World Track Cups in Sydney and Beijing.
“The amount of time I have had to get my track legs back has been a little restrictive” she explained and so its been an intense period as well.” Injury didn’t help her either as just before the National Track Championships, Wendy picked up a back injury which ruled her out of the British Cycling Track Championships.
“Once I was over that injury, Dan (Hunt, national coach) and I have had to manage the training quite carefully to ensure that I had the best chance possible for Sydney and then Beijing.”
“It has been quite an intense few weeks but the track legs are definitely coming back which is a big positive” she told us. Asked if she is now over her injury worries, Wendy says “yes, I have had a run of bad luck to be honest but that is a situation out of my control and is part of being an athlete and training the body to such a high level for sporting excellence.”
“One of the positive aspects I hope to take from these set backs though is that I’ve come back stronger after the enforced rest. Touch wood, this year I can avoid injuries.”
Her last competitive Pursuit was at the Majorca Worlds so it has been a while since she has experienced a Pursuit in competition. She has however done a few race efforts in training including one at a Nikon Expo day at Manchester where a number of keen photographers were quick to present her with posters of the images they had taken of her.
Wendy during a race effort in training.
“The fact I haven’t raced for a while doesn’t faze me” she says however. “I am quite confident of what I can deliver and it probably works to my advantage that I haven’t competed for a while. The test recently went well and that ride has given me confidence going into the competition phase.”
Wendy told us she was also looking forward to getting to Beijing and testing the track there. “I think, as everyone does, the more experience we have on an event track, the better and once in Beijing, I am sure we’ll make the most of the opportunity to ride on that track and to get familiar with it”.
The Women’s Pursuit team for Great Britain has the healthy situation as it does in most of the individual squads of having more than one World Class rider with Wendy and teammate Rebecca Romero.
Talking about how their coach Dan Hunt helps them on a day to day level in training sessions at Manchester, Wendy says “it’s a whole range of different things. Last year it was mainly about physically training as hard as we could and this year we’re fine tuning things more and that includes making the best use of the SRM data where as last year we didn’t do any of that. We’re always looking at different aspects of the training to see where improvements can be made and all the information Dan gathers from the training helps in that”.
“During a typical session, Dan will talk over the times with me, the half lap and full lap splits as well as the technique for a specific part of the pursuit like the start and the aerodynamic position. He’s looking at areas where I can improve and discussing those with me.”
It’s a partnership that has certainly worked very well with Wendy’s times for the 3,000 metre event tumbling in the last 18 months. Her biggest challenge however, like it is for everyone in Team GB, is to make the team for the Beijing Olympics and that challenge starts its competitive phase in Sydney. We wish Wendy lots of luck in the UCI competition for 2007/08.
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