First I want to tell you how we race the pigeons in The Netherlands. The races starting at the end of march with the old pigeons. We start with a race of 90Km and race about 12 weeks till 450Km. After 6 weeks, we start also every two weeks a 500Km race (Eendaagse Fond) with a total of 5 races. Two weeks after the first 500Km race, we start also every week a 900Km race with a total of 10 races. At the end of june we start racing with youngsters, they do about 7 races from 90Km till 450Km. We start half august again with youngsters for 6 races from 90Km till 280Km.

I started in the year 1979 with keeping pigeons and racing them. Like almost everybody I started to race the short and middle distance races (till Orleans 432Km). Immediately I won a several championships in my club De Witpen (30 members), also I won the first prize in the combine Samenspel Valkenburg (300 members) from Houdremont 150Km. This hen NL79-2091963 who won this first prize would be later the basic pigeon of the loft.



The best son of the 79/963 is the NL82-1465810, he has won several first prizes in my club De Witpen and also at the combine Samenspel Valkenburg from Reims, Bouillon and Modave. Also he won several middle distance and allround championships. The best son of the 10 is the NL84-462072, he won the 1. Modave in the combine Samenspel Valkenburg with 5 minutes ahead.
An other son of the 79/963 is the NL84-212280, he won the 1. Reims in the combine Samenspel Valkenburg. Also an other son of the 79/963 the NL87-5722259 has won the 1. Provins in the combine Samenspel Valkenburg.

From 1986 I made a start with racing the Dagfond races. These are five races from 480 till 650Km and are raced of the province Limburg (±3500 members). An important pigeon would be the hen NL83-1027015. Her three sons NL85-541071, NL85-541076 'Bordeaux' and NL85-541077 have won 29.National.Bordeaux 1989, 2.Limoges, 7. Limoges, 3.Orleans, 5.Moulins, 8.Moulins. Later the 'Bordeaux' would be an important pigeon in the building of the long distance loft.



Especially the years 1987, 1988 and 1990 were superb with the racing of youngsters. I won each year several first prizes in the combine Samenspel Valkenburg and also I won the following championships in the combine Samenspel Valkenburg: 2. and 4. Youngsters in 1987, 3. General 1987, 2. and 3. Youngsters in 1988, 2. General 1988, 3. General 1989, 2. General 1990.

The next important pigeon would be the 'Boris' NL86-1869053. He was the basic pigeon of the Dagfond-pigeons from 1989. The best son was the NL88-5823258 he won 3.Vierzon, 8.Limoges, 9.Vierzon and was as yearling the 11.Ace Pigeon Dagfond CLBvP 1989.
Another son of Boris was the NL88-5823251, he won 3.Limoges and 44.National.Hof 1989.
Grandchilderen of Boris have won the following first prizes: NL92-1748634 with 1.Reims, NL93-5388858 with 1.Reims, NL95-2431417 with 1.St.Dizier and 2.Provincial.St.Dizier, NL90-5005555 with 1.Chateauroux and 9.Provincial.Chateauroux and was 10.Ace Pigeon Dagfond CLBvP 1991. Also the greatgrandchilderen have won first prizes: NL92-5218790 with 1.Reims, NL95-2431411 with 2.St.Dizier and 4.Provincial.St.Dizier.


From 1992 I was started looking for pigeons for the long distance races. I made a difference between the pigeons for the races with a release in the morning and the pigeons for the races with a release after 12.00 a clock.

In Holland we have about 5 races with a release after 12.00 a clock. These races are St.Vincent 966Km, Dax 949Km, Soustons 956Km later there came Mont de Marsan 909Km and Bergerac 777Km later there came Bordeaux 817Km, Cahors 785Km later there came Montaubon 832Km and Tarbes 963Km. The transportation is done by car and the races are kept National in three sectors or Provincial.
Also we race about 5 races with Belgium, Germany, Luxumbourg, northen France and Holland. These races are Pau 963Km, Barcelona 1091Km, Marseille 843Km, Perpignan 936Km, Dax 911Km and Bordeaux 825Km. The transportation is by train and the races are kept InterNational and National. The transportation of these races is also done by car since 2005, since 2005 there is a new race from Narbonne 883Km.

The first youngsters from 1992 came from F.van Ophuizen-M.Marell, Landgraaf. One of these youngsters, 'Fonsje' NL92-2832789 would be the basic pigeon of the loft. After that a complete round of eggs (60) came from  K. and L. Scheepers, Valkenburg and the eggs of the best racing pigeons from Gebr.Saya, Maastricht. Also there came two hens from L.Heldens, Landgraaf. This was the start of the racing from long distance races.


The first pigeons with great succes were cousins, the NL94-1939564 and the NL94-1939781. Both of them are grandchilderen of the NL91-2952715, she was 6.Ace Pigeon Long Distance CLBvP 1993. The 781 'Soustons' has won 48.National.Soustons 1997 and 59.National.Soustons 1996. The 564 'Worldchampion' has won 212.National.Soustons 1996, 231.National.Tarbes 1996, 250.National.Soustons 1997, 277.National.Dax 1997 and 371.National.St.Vincent 1997 and was 6. Worldchampion Long Distance Versele Lage in 1997.


The NL94-1939564 - Worldchampion                   The NL94-1939781 - Soustons

The 'Worldchampion' NL94-1939564 is father of the 1e Provincial Bordeaux (817Km) 2003 against 5.071 pigeons. The 'Mirage' NL00-2390294 won this race with 1 hour and 45 minutes ahead. The race was a very hard race under tropical temperatures and wind on the head. A full brother of the Mirage, the NL99-1318691, won earlier in 2003 the 8e Provincial Montaubon (832Km) against 9.558 pigeons, also this race was a hard one with tropical temperatures and the wind on the head.


The NL00-2390294 - Mirage

Also there was the nestmate of the Mirage, the 'Tornado' NL00-2390293 he won 12 prizes of 14 races Long Distance. The 293 'Tornado' was 1e Ace Pigeon Long Distance in the combine Valkenburg 2002 and 1e Ace Pigeon Long Distance in the union De Witpen 2002, 2003 and 2004.


The NL00-2390293 Tornado

The pigeons for the races with a release in the morning are lead by the 'Kleine' NL97-1978056, he is a grandson of the Marseille of the Gebr.Saya, the 'Kleine' has won 124.National.Barcelona (1091Km), 265.National.Barcelona, 748.National.Barcelona, 465.National.Perpignan (936Km), 806.National.Perpignan, 906.National.Marseille (844Km) and 1161.National.Perpignan. His brother the NL97-1978043 has won 466.National.Pau (963Km), also a brother the NL97-1978070 has won 422.National.Bordeaux yearlings and 671.National.Barcelona, also a brother the NL97-1978057 has won 454.National.Perpignan. 
Breeded from a sister of the Marseille of the Gebr.Saya with a grandson of the Abor is the NL96-1155028, he has won 299.National.Barcelona. A brother of the 028 is the NL00-2390490 with the 277.National.Perpignan 2003. A sister of the 028 has won at the loft of L.Senden 4 prizes of 4 races Long Distance (the 525).


Another line for these races are the red pigeons. These pigeons are grandchilderen of the 'Bordeaux' NL85-541076. His daughter the NL94-1939596 has given the NL01-2290725 with the 145.National.Bordeaux yearlings and 596.National.Barcelona 2004 and the NL98-1652169 with the 251.National.Marseille (844Km) and 477.Provincial.Bordeaux and the NL99-1318494 with the 13.Provincial.Chateauroux (541Km). A son of the 169 the NL00-2390457 has won the 326.National.Marseille as a yearling.


From 2001 a great number of  youngsters and eggs are bought by Straat-Gulpen, Vaals. Before there were only a few youngsters of Straat-Gulpen, but from this few the results were good. Lets take the NL99-1318602, he won as yearling the 195.National.Marseille 2000, he is 50% from Straat-Gulpen strain Stamvader 925. A full brother of the 602, the NL99-1318649, won as yearling the 158.National.Bordeaux 2000. Another brother the NL99-1318688 has won the 457.National.Pau 2001. A halfbrother is the NL97-1978061, he won the 392.National.Perpignan 1999 and 270.National.St.Vincent 2001. 


The racing loft.

The National and International races from France/Spain.