Houvenaghel ageist claims dismissed by GB’s Tennant

WORLD champion cyclist Andy Tennant has challenged Wendy Houvenaghel over her claims that she was harshly treated by British Cycling when she was denied the chance to win a medal at the 2012 Olympics. The then 37-year-old said she was a victim of ‘ageism’ after missing out on a place in the women’s team pursuit trio that won gold in world record time. Houvenaghel’s complaint was based on her claim that when she was a member of the trio, the team rode even faster at the pre-Games training camp. ‘At the end of the day I’ve signed up for elite sport, which we all know is a s*** place to be at times,’ said Tennant, who heads out to Hong Kong next week hoping for another world title in the team pursuit. ‘We’re here to perform and win medals. We’re not here to be everyone’s friend. ‘She could have probably gone into that squad and they still would have qualified. But that wasn’t necessarily the fastest team, so why would you put your second fastest team on the starting grid? ‘I don’t see how you complain or moan against a selection panel when they’ve brought a team in that’s broken the world record.’