Old Bird Season Concluded in Style!
05/08/2025
This past week saw the final one-day long-distance race of the season: Orléans (530 km). For our pigeons, it was the last real test—only a few short-distance "natour" races remain, all of which are vitesse.
The 2025 season is one we won’t forget anytime soon. It started with a dream performance in May, followed by a disastrous race that cost us some valuable pigeons. It took time and effort to get things back on track, but we managed to record some great results in June and July. That said, overall performance was less consistent than in the 2020–2024 period. However, this trend was seen in many lofts.
The national race from Orléans featured a unique dynamic: no less than 60% of the participating pigeons came from Sections 5 and 6, where the race counted for championship points. A southwesterly wind—potentially to our advantage—added another layer of interest. We were curious to see how things would play out—and whether we could clock an early bird nationally.
We did just that—and in spectacular fashion!
Six pigeons arrived within minutes:
14:06:23, 14:07:01, 14:07:25, 14:07:38, 14:08:47, 14:09:32
Five more arrived before 14:30. It almost felt like a sprint race!
With 16 pigeons entered and 11 prizes won, we’re happy to call this a successful conclusion to our old bird season.
Results:
Federation (109 pigeons):
1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 16, 17
Provincial – Section 8/GOU (546 pigeons, 54 participants):
6, 9, 11, 14, 19, 20, 38, 62, 63, 89, 97
→ 1st “Grootmeester”
National – Sector 3 (1,301 pigeons, 120 participants):
11, 16, 18, 21, 32, 36, 69, 117, 118, 175, 196
→ 2nd “Grootmeester”
National (9,673 pigeons, 997 participants):
95, 118, 126, 132, 173, 189, 391, 724, 731, 1095, 1254
→ 15th “Grootmeester”
This race once again proved that the Netherlands is perfectly suited for national-level competition. The leading pigeons were nicely spread across the country, and even within our own section, the distribution was excellent thanks to the large liberation.
A special mention goes to NL20-1302164 “Pandemic”: four of our first seven pigeons were his direct children. Just like his father, he’s showing strong signs of becoming a top breeder.
We’re already looking forward to more national races. How amazing would it be to have another one like this in just two weeks? Why must August be limited to only short-distance natour races?
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