B20-4111636
1st National Bergerac 3,838 old birds

Distance: 748km
Velocity: 1,340.92 m/m

Bergerac is a new name on the national flight programme and was organised for old pigeons only. The weather forecast for the weekend was very clear, we were heading for a weekend with more than 30 degrees and perhaps that stopped many fanciers from fully tendering for this long distance race. The season has already been very tough.
In Bergerac, the 3,838 old pigeons were released at 6.45 am, at a temperature of 17°C and a slightly variable wind, varying from S.E. to S.W..
Unlike the Argenton pigeons, which achieved speeds above 1,500 m/m, the first Bergerac pigeons barely achieved 1,340 m/m. . And then the speeds dropped quickly as only 4 achieved an average speed of 1,300 m/m and the 100th place national already sits at 1,200 m/m. 

Second national win

National winner is Gunther Smet. Bergerac is his 2nd national win as he also won International Agen yearling in 2015. 

This time it is blue cock "B21-4111636", an original Loobuyck Jan and Jos cock that claims the biggest honour. "Unfortunately, I didn't see it coming" explains Gunther "I thought I still had time to feed the youngsters when suddenly I heard a pigeon fall on the aviary. On going outside I saw that it was a Bergerac kite. I couldn't believe my eyes. 

My national winner is part of a 56-headed team played on total widowhood. I too had losses and currently there are about 30 playing pigeons left. It is important to know that Gunter runs a greengrocer's shop together with his wife and only has time to go to the pigeon loft from 15h. 

Listed for you:

- Gunther has been playing pigeons in his own name since 2007, culminating in the international Agen victory in 2015. But pigeon racing did not go as desired and in 2021 the selection bar was set so high that only six breeders survived. As the breeding loft was thin, Gunther bought a round of youngsters from Loobuyck Jos and Jan in Aalter and lo and behold, one of those guys wins Bergerac.

-The Loobuyck pigeons are for the heavier work and to be able to compete on the other distances, Gunther bought 20 youngsters from Wijffels Stijn (Gullegem) and 25 youngsters from Team Debo (Vichte). 

- No special motivation in basketing. As pigeons from the same loft are played on different distances, the hens are simply picked from the loft on the day of basketing and the cocks get a nesting dish. After the flight, they usually stay together until the next day.

- Aïdi's feed is on the menu. In the beginning Mix 1 and then switch to Mix 2 and Mix 3. As far as by-products are concerned, Belgasol is added to the drink when they arrive home and oil + Protein K + K (Röhnfried) is added to the feed the next day. On Monday and Tuesday, 10ml of Hexenbier per litre of water is mixed. 

- Medical checks are done on a regular basis. Belgica De Weerd products are usually used for this.

With Bergerac and Agen, Gunther has a good taste of a national win and who knows what will follow. He deserves it

Stefan Mertens