Erik Tollenaers (Lanaken) wins 1st Provincial Bergerac Limburg

Lanaken - Erik Tollenaers from Lanaken put in an impressive performance by winning the first provincial prize on the national flight from Bergerac. His pigeon, BE20-5006956, a red cock, flew as the fastest of 309 old birds and achieved an average speed of 980.44 metres per minute.  

BE20-5006956: An impressive career

The winning pigeon BE20-5006956, which landed on the board at Lanaken around 20h17, not only won the first provincial prize, but also classified 413th out of 3,157 old birds. This red cock has had an impressive career. Raised as a late young pigeon, it quickly developed into a prize winner. As a yearling in 2021, he flew no less than eight prizes. On 18 July 2021, he won the 24th provincial prize at Châteauroux against 1,135 yearlings and two weeks later the 36th provincial prize against 770 yearlings at Tulle.

In the 2022-2023-2024 seasons, BE20-5006956 continued his successes:
2022
8x prize
2nd Prov. Valence against 1,052 yearlings
2023
2nd Prov. Ace Pigeon Long Distance Old Birds KBDB 2023
13th Nat. Ace Pigeon Long Distance Old Birds KBDB 2023
3rd Prov. Bergerac against 410 old birds
7th Prov. Cahors against 371 old birds
7th Prov. Libourne against 392 old birds
2024
His determination and talent also came to the fore when Tollenaers retrieved him from Cahors earlier this year in the local despite having lost almost his entire tail. After recovering at home for a few weeks, this tame and hard-working pigeon again proved its worth with an 18th provincial prize against 291 old birds on Brive. With then now a first provincial prize on Bergerac last weekend.

Widowhood and Training Methods

Erik Tollenaers plays his pigeons according to the widowhood system. When basketing, the pigeons never get to see a hen, but when they return home they do. Tollenaers explains that he cannot give the hens on Wednesdays because this is too disruptive for the other pigeons, as he plays all races. With 16 breeding couples, he has built up a well-balanced and successful colony, as evidenced by his strong performance on flights of 600 to 800 kilometres.

Gratitude and cooperation

Besides his own commitment and professionalism, Tollenaers also recognises the importance of his friends and fellow pigeon fanciers. Their support and advice have contributed to his successes in pigeon racing. This network of support highlights the community and cooperation within the sport.
Erik, once again heartfelt congratulations from the entire Herbots team!

Maarten Herbots