Eddy Cardon (Deerlijk) National champion KBDB marathon 2022

National champion of Belgium KBDB marathon ...it is one with lustre and coveted by many...and won by few. Besides winning ace pigeons, a title with panache and only reserved for a loft that does not shy away from heavy work and can fight for hours...yes even...days to reach home. A bit like the race team championship in Formula 1 or something like that ?

Eddy and Eric..it was a strong duo that laid a wonderful foundation
Was....a very regrettable 'was', because what was a strong duo in pigeon racing was broken up in February this year (February 2022). Eddy Cardon, 69 years old (originally from Zeebrugge and living in Deerlijk for 31 years) man of many talents (a.o. champion of Belgium in billiards) and Eric Pacque from Handzame (71 years old) were a twosome (racing under the name Cardon - Pacque) that pulled the pigeon wagon with great success since 2012.
Consulting together about the purchase of a pigeon, always looking for reinforcements for their loft, Eric the manager of the breeding pigeons, Eddy the helmsman of the racing team...it went well, it went smoothly, it went very smoothly until Eric suddenly fell ill in February this year and died in a very short period of time. He sadly did not get to experience and celebrate this year's success. Eddy still gets tears in his eyes when he tells us all this because it would have been a championship title with even more shine than now, they would have celebrated together. Eddy then quietly whispers to us that he hopes Eric was able to experience this too, wherever he was. The relativity of things.....
People help people and support each other. Eddy and Eric, and on top of that Gabriel (d'Hert) as an ardent supporter. This friend of the house from Torhout was and is invariably present when waiting for the pigeons and is pretty much regarded by Eddy as his PR man. He knows every pigeon, knows how to stimulate Eddy to do even better and is his support and supporter in the first row in Deerlijk!
A fourth, unmissable link in the chain is Rita, Eddy's wife. Always ready to help take care of the pigeons, she too is for Eddy a team player hors catégorie and carer at his side. And as sports commentator José De Cauwer repeatedly says during a cycling race "that gives you courage". Pigeon sport, it is and remains a social sport and is fortunately in many cases the basis for good friendships. 

The school of experience and ironclad pigeons
It started like many, at speed and middle-distance. Eddy is a man who observes well, analyses, reacts. He once played himself 3rd and 4th champion of Belgium in Deerlijk with the youngsters and had a great time on these distances.
From the 2000s onwards, he became more and more keen on long-distance and very long-distance racing. Very targeted investments were made for this. Eddy and the late Eric were usually the first to get some strong blood. The basis of the current successes was laid with pigeons from (Hok) Eric Deprez from Gistel, Cor de Heijde from Made, Kurvers-de Weerd from Hulsberg, Eric Devlaminck from Hulste and a few individual pigeons from the strongest long-distance strain. By trial and error, a breeding loft was formed from this that can compete with the best. In a more recent phase, (top) quality was purchased from a small but very high quality colony in the Netherlands, namely Wetemans (Kelpen-Olen) where 3 brothers and 2 sisters of the 1st national Agen were purchased (mainly Kuypers blood) and from Wim Gommans from Egchel (Nl) a small long-distance colony but where the quality in the long-distance races is dripping.
We had the pleasure of sampling some pigeons and it should come as no surprise that this quality won the championship title. Strong pigeons, soft feathers, very short forearms and eyes like carbuncles, real classics that can hang in the air for hours on end. Top quality!

The eye of the master...
makes the horse fat..is a well-known saying. Here I would translate them as ensures good care and top results. With a sharp eye of a billiard champion, Eddy is apparently able to make good connections, observe strongly and correct and steer where necessary. The pigeons are very well cared for, punctual and correct. The garden lofts are airy, spacious and have a good exposure to the sun and allow good building up ifv the heavy races.
They house (now in Deerlijk, previously in Handzame) 20 breeding couples (and 6 supporting couples). The racing team consists of 45 (old and yearling) racers and 10 hens. The basis is the classic widowhood game where no breeding is done before the season. A short pairing (around 25 March) and training the pigeons is enough to start the season quietly.
About 80 youngsters are bred for own use and breeding is started in January (rather second half of January). The aim for the youngsters lies in gaining ample experience but not in performance per se. They are long-distance pigeons, ripen a little later and therefore get plenty of opportunity to grow, gain experience and become a pigeon ifv perform at the age of two and beyond. The youngsters fly about 7 races from Clermont and this gives them enough experience to start as yearlings.
The pigeons train once a day in spring and twice a day later in the season when the weather is warmer. They are never 'shown' before basketing and later in the season the pigeons get their nesting dish as a signal that they are going to basket. When they arrive home, recovery is priority and they get their partner for a longer time (also depending on the heaviness of the flight).
What do pigeons need to become Belgian champions in the long distance?
With Eddy this is feed from Bonduelle (Magic) mixed with Vanrobaeys39. The last days before basketing in the very long distance the pigeons get Bordeaux maize and sweets. They also get this mixture when they return home from a race, supplemented with protein over the feed. When pigeons are in the build-up phase and do not yet need to be raised, they are fed a 50/50 purification and previous mixture. Each pigeon is fed separately in the nest box. Vitamins are never given, but apple cider vinegar (throughout the year) and electrolytes are given when they arrive home.
Eddy does medical checks himself with his own microscope. Preventive measures are hardly ever taken and when trichomonas are found, a tricho pill is given and every three weeks the pigeons are given the well-known yellow drops. Eddy checks the pigeons the day after they return home. Several times a year a visit is made to the vet to do a double check.
The formometer is the flight behaviour and arrival of the pigeons in the preparatory flights. The intensity of training shows the forme and coming home free and happy from the preparatory flights is the barometer for forme and condition.
Eddy also notices that his top performers are also never really tired on arrival home. Their genes apparently allow them to cover these distances without problems and pigeons in condition can do a lot. The game on these heavy flights is also such that literally the hive makes the selection. The good ones get through, the inferior ones drop out and are left behind.

And the national champion is...Eddy Cardon

With very strong results on the Agen, St Vincent (Tarbes) and Narbonne flights, Eddy won the national title. The podium is one to like. In second place the supertandem from Jabbeke of father and son Pollin, followed by topfondhok De Smeyter-Restiaen and in fourth place another superfondhok namely Stijn and Jeroen Rans. What an achievement to get first place. In addition, almost all long distance races in the 2022 season were rock hard, hot weather and mostly at low minute speeds. It was possible or not possible, forme or no forme, not for wimps, not for doers !
 

Which pigeons won this magnificent title ?

BE20-3012088 Filou

 54th national Agen

 163rd national Narbonne

His father is a cock from the Deprez loft out of the Looymans lines (Theo Ernest) crossed with the Karel line of Noël Peiren. Both the best there is on this globe flying around in the heavy long distance.
His mother is a Dutch hen by M & N Kobal and is bred from a son of New Laureaat (1st internat Barcelona) coupled with a daughter of New Laureaat with a dash of Vanbruane. An inbred hen to New Laureaat.
 

BE20-3012019 De Lichten

o 181st national Agen

o 744th national Narbonne

His sire is a cross of Cor de Heijde x a daughter of d'Artagnan by Dieter Ballmann.
His mother is back a hen by M&S Kobal and inbred to the The Special One (1st international Barcelona) x New Laureaat (1st international Barcelona) orte the strongest Barcelona blood of the Low Countries.
 

BE20-3012040 Black Thieu

o 98th national Sint Vincent (Tarbes)

His father is a direct cock of Thieu Wetemans from the Netherlands out of his very best bloodlines.
The mother is a direct hen from the Hok Deprez and is daughter of the Pyrenees paired with the 2nd provincial, 28th national Barcelona.
 

BE19-3009981 The One White Pen

o 4th national Saint Vincent (Tarbes)

Sire is a direct cock from Twan Bongers and a 100% Jellema pigeon (Zwart Goud x the Bergerac cock).
Mother is a cross of Cor de Heijde x Hok Deprez
 

What stands out with these results (and also some other top results from last season) is that they are all relatively young pigeons that achieved this title. We therefore dare to conclude that this is a strongly emerging colony with a lot of potential both in breeding value and flying value.

Apart from enjoying this national title, we are especially looking forward to further and clean exploits on this loft in Deerlijk. Eddy has managed to triumph nationally and with this he pays a very nice tribute to his late partner Eric and his strong team !

Congratulations from the Herbot team !

Geert