The 21-year-old took third in Good Friday’s opening criterium, then went on to win the hill climb, road race and time-trial against Guernsey Velo Club regulars, putting himself firmly back on the radar after a quieter 2025 for the talented triathlete.
‘I’m really shocked actually,’ he said.
‘I was not expecting to go that well. It was nice.’
Guernsey’s top road cyclist of Orkney 2025, Phil Touzeau, had won the weather-shortened opening criterium at Chouet.
He covered 12 laps in 45min. 7sec., sharing the same time as Alex Van Katwyk, who had picked off Le Cheminant on the line. Le Cheminant had got dropped mid-race but done well to work his way back.
An ascent up the eastern side of Petit Bot onto La Route de la Falaise provided a different diversion when it came to the annual hill climb.
There, Le Cheminant was in a class of his own, negotiating the long and challenging climb in 2-03.
Adam Torode and junior Charlie Tourtel shared second on 2-11, with Games cyclists Seth Davey and Phil Touzeau following on 2-13 and 2-14 respectively.
Due to conditions and the threat of waves coming over the sea wall, the following day’s road race took place over just three laps of the L’Eree Circuit – with the potential to be extended on a call made while under way.
Le Cheminant left nothing to chance and made the great break on the very first lap, which he finished around 1-10 ahead of the opposition.
The lead persisted until the line, despite Le Cheminant admitting to being ‘scared’ when he checked to see his chasers not far behind him with a coastal section into the wind still remaining.
He held on to win in 56-20, only 4sec. ahead of Tourtel and 5sec. clear of Touzeau and Davey. Roe finished just adrift in 56-33.
Battling moderate winds for the concluding 10-mile time-trial at Cobo, Le Cheminant posted 22-17 to take top spot.
Young Davey followed on 22-29, finishing 15sec. clear of past Commonwealth Games man Marc Cox in third.
Touzeau finished fourth in 22-49, giving him 20sec. on the man in fifth, new Guernsey Velo Club road co-ordinator Nathaniel Moseley-Jones.
‘Everyone rode so well over the weekend,’ the victor said of his opposition.
‘It’s such a good event to have some competitive racing.’
Le Cheminant had made his name as a triathlete, becoming Guernsey’s top locally-based competitor in his late teens before withdrawing from Orkney 2025.
He has since enjoyed a few alternative focuses and this fantastic bike form comes as he prepares for the Traka 360km gravel race in Girona, Spain, on 1 May.
‘I’ve found the love for the bike again, which I lost many years ago,’ added a competitor who is potentially now eyeing Games places in both cycling and tri.
Touzeau claimed second overall for the festival and Van Katwyk third, while Torode placed fourth and Jason Kon fifth through consistency and commitment to the whole festival.
Orkney 2025 triathlete Dan Armsden won the men’s sport division after holding off fellow veteran Mark Smith, who faced an uphill battle after losing vital positions on the crit but narrowly outperformed the winner from there, including edging him by 1sec. to win the road race.
Games mountain-bikers Tourtel and Davey, just four days apart in age, could not be split when it came to the junior festival standings and took equal top spot.
Despite being well into her veteran years, Andrea Nightingale just missed out on the clean sweep in the main women’s division.
Her defeat came in the short and sharp hill climb, where triathlete Amy Woollaston came out top in 3-43 and Dana Ujhazyova tied the evergreen competitor’s time with a 3-50.
Nightingale then finished a full 5-14 clear of overall runner-up Ujhazyova on the road race and 1-20 in the time-trial.
A new novice women’s category, attended by nine different riders over the weekend, provided compelling competition.
Susan Joyce started the weekend as she meant to go on, with a Good Friday criterium victory helping her take top spot despite not winning any of the other races.
Young Holly Smith dominated the shortened hill climb by some 11sec. from sister Amy, while Sarah Burrows proved a convincing winner in the road race and time-trial but could not contest the title after missing the first two days.
Basketballer and netballer Gemma Batiste’s consistent performances ultimately earned her second in the women’s novices.
That group also contained Paul Van Katwyk Trophy winner Bev Godfrey, whose prize commemorates the late Velo Club stalwart and goes to the rider deemed to have best embodied the spirit of competitiveness, sportsmanship and good humour.
In the youth (U16 and below) classes, Luka Robilliard won the overall crown after success in the full-length hill climb and a single-lap road race.
Freddie Martel beat him by 10sec. in the time-trial and secured second overall.
