Walter Lambeets, Marc Van Oosterwyck, and Tim Van Roy—winners of May 3rd.

The first weekend of May traditionally marks the start of the half-distance races for old pigeons. This year, Melun was on the program, an important event for pigeon fanciers preparing for the longer half-distance and national races. In total, 468 old pigeons were basketed in Scherpenheuvel by 22 fanciers, while the entire sector entered 2781 old pigeons for Melun.

During the week, we enjoyed sunny and warm weather, especially on Thursday and Friday, but for Saturday, varying weather conditions were predicted. Fortunately, the pigeons were released on time, and most returned well, although results varied among fanciers. Overall, this flight went better than previous races from Soissons and Momignies.

Excitement and Performance in Melun

The pigeons were released at 8:00 AM in Melun, and anticipation grew for strong competitors such as Arien-DK-Kaier from Houwaart and Gommaire Verbruggen from Scherpenheuvel. The first arrival was reported by Arien-DK-Kaier, but Tim Van Roy from Scherpenheuvel ultimately claimed victory with his pigeon 2082508-2024, clocked at 11:43.42 with a speed of 1366.7278 m/m. With this performance, he placed ahead of Arien-DK-Kaier, who finished second, while his neighboor Gommaire Verbruggen secured third, fourth, and fifth place.

Tim Van Roy demonstrated an outstanding achievement, not only locally but also at Hafo Vlaams-Brabant, where he won first prize against 680 old pigeons. In sector 2, he also secured fourth place against 2781 pigeons. Despite waiting 15 minutes for his second pigeon, 69.23% of his basketed pigeons made it into the rankings. Lucien Laevers from Rillaar and Arien-DK-Kaier also performed excellently, with 66.67% of their pigeons in the rankings.

Next week, the pigeons head to Toury, marking the beginning of the longer half-distance season, where pigeons from Brabantse-Unie will race towards Vierzon.

Results from Soissons and Momignies

For the Soissons race, 238 old pigeons were basketed by 22 fanciers. After a less successful weekend, Marc Van Oosterwyck from Testelt made a strong comeback, securing first and second place while achieving 70.83% prize wins from his entered pigeons, proving his exceptional talent. Roger Didden and son from Messelbroek took third place, while Geert Beken from Scherpenheuvel and Robert Schroeven secured 66.67% and 56% prize wins, respectively.

As old pigeons gradually move to half-distance and next week to the longer half-distance, fewer pigeons are participating in Momignies. In Scherpenheuvel, 134 old pigeons were entered by 16 fanciers. The release took place at 8:50 AM, with four pigeons arriving simultaneously at UNIKAMP in Aarschot. Eventually, Walter Lambeets from Aarschot claimed first and second place, followed by his neighboor Lucienne Asselberghs in third and fourth. With this result, Walter Lambeets secured back-to-back victories from Momignies, proving his strong start to the 2025 season.

Guido Broos from Tielt-Winge also impressed, securing 66.67% prize wins from his pigeons. Guido is also performing well in the standings of various championships.

All race results and championship rankings can be followed via www.verenigdevrienden.net—definitely worth a visit!

 

Naam schrijver: Witte, Geschelpte