In October 2005, Houvenaghel won her first 3 km Individual Pursuit National Track title which was soon followed up by two World Cup wins, aged 31.

She competed for England on both the track and the road at the Commonwealth Games after being turned down for the Northern Ireland team by the British Cycling Federation.

During the Track World Championships in Manchester, after inconsistent winter training, she was a part of the gold medal-winning women's Team Pursuit.

On 15 August 2008 Houvenaghel qualified fastest in the qualification round of the Women's 3000m pursuit at the Beijing Olympics and went on to win the silver medal in the final, losing out on the gold to her teammate by 2 seconds.

She won silver again in the same event at the 2009 Track World Championships in Poland, losing the final by 2 seconds after beating her opponent in the qualifying heats.

She retained her World Championship title in the Women's Team Pursuit by qualifying fastest during the qualification ride and winning the final.

Houvenaghel announced her retirement from the sport on the eve of the 2014 Commonwealth Games after sustaining a back injury in training, forcing her to withdraw from the competition.