Geert De Coninck (Beveren-Waas) wins first and second provincial prizes at Perpignan

Geert De Coninck (Beveren-Waas) wins first and second provincial prizes at Perpignan
Whenever the name Geert De Coninck from Beveren in the Waasland region appears in any publication or ranking, we know it’s connected to long-distance pigeon racing, and more specifically, the Barcelona race.
This 63-year-old pigeon fancier from the Waasland has devoted his heart to the ultimate marathon race for pigeon enthusiasts. His entire year revolves around this race, and any other successful results are simply a welcome bonus.
Because it’s hard to focus on many things successfully, it makes sense, in my opinion, to make a clear choice in your ambitions—and Geert has certainly done that.
As a result of this focused approach, he has built a strong reputation in the marathon pigeon racing world, and he’s spoken of with great respect, especially when it comes to the Barcelona classic.
Geert retired last year after a successful career in the graphic industry. Now, he can fully enjoy the pigeon sport with a healthy balance between effort and relaxation.

Go go for Barcelona – how do you tackle such a challenge?
Although this article is about his double provincial victory at Perpignan, we would like to share a bit of his strategy aimed at Barcelona.
He keeps around 15 breeding pairs, all descended from pigeons suited for extreme long-distance flights. Over the years, Geert has built his own strain of pigeons that have flown Barcelona themselves, occasionally introducing carefully selected Barcelona bloodlines to strengthen his loft.

Key breeding pigeons include Luna (2nd National Irun [Saint-Vincent] in 2008, a night flyer and mother of 1st International Ace Pigeon Campio Barca), Blauwe Henk, and the lineage of Schicht (1st Provincial Barcelona 2005).

He keeps about 70 racing pigeons (both old and yearlings). All pigeons are paired on March 1. The racers incubate for a few days and are then separated again. He does not breed in winter. All pairs are raced in full, and they are brought into nesting condition for Barcelona.

Old and yearling pigeons follow the same training program:

• 2 x 100 km
• 3 x 200 km
• 1 x 400 km
• preferably followed by 2 national races (Bourges – Argenton), including yearlings that may not have fully molted yet.

As young birds, they usually fly a few races from Quiévrain and possibly Noyon, which seems to be enough to build up their mileage and prepare them for Agen and Narbonne as yearlings. The goal is for all pigeons—cocks and hens—to be able to fly Barcelona at two years old.

At the beginning of the season, they are raced using the widowhood method and later paired again with Barcelona in mind.

All birds are raced on the nest. Geert has found through experience that pigeons can perform well in almost any nest condition. His preferred stages are 8 days of incubation or having chicks in the nest. In the past, he even achieved 3rd National Agen with a cock that had been incubating for just three days.

How do you get your nest pigeons to train sufficiently?
The answer is simple: in the morning, the cocks are let out (while the hens are brooding), and without needing to be chased, their training gradually increases to 30 minutes to an hour. The hens train in the afternoon and actually train even more intensively than the cocks.

Early in the season, they go into the basket weekly for training flights, aiming to reach Bourges and then return to their desired nest position calmly.
Before Barcelona, they fly Noyon (203 km), and then they’re ready for basketing.

During the preparation period, the birds are fed lightly: 50% diet mix, 25% sport mix, some crib maize, and a bit of small seed.
In the final five days before Barcelona, they are built up with sport, energy, and small seed mixtures.

Medical approach:
Geert hardly ever visits a vet. The birds are trained well, and during the preparation phase, they are given a one-week trichomoniasis treatment in May. Possibly a very light 2-day treatment for the respiratory tract after the first training flights. After that, nature must take over.
Geert is experienced enough to see from the pigeons’ condition and training rhythm whether they are ready.

After the Barcelona race, depending on the difficulty of the race, the ease of returns, and the condition of the birds, he decides whether to basket birds for Perpignan.
If the birds are in good shape, they go to Perpignan. Pigeons that couldn’t fly Barcelona for some reason are also sent to Perpignan. This year, both top pigeons at Perpignan also flew Barcelona 2025.

To illustrate the level of discipline his pigeons undergo, here’s a summarizing quote from Geert about the strength of his birds:

“The advantage of this method is that only pigeons that can handle the system remain. I want to know as efficiently as possible what quality I have. My base pigeon 'El Campio Barca' flew Barcelona/Perpignan three years in a row, and in 2015 became 1st International Ace Pigeon over three years of Barcelona. He improved with age and even won 1st prize in the club during his last Barcelona race. He was definitely not overused—he had already won 9th national Ace Pigeon Barcelona/Perpignan.”

Highlights from Beveren over the past years include:

• 1st International Ace Pigeon over 3 years Barcelona (2015)
• 1st National Ace Pigeon over 4 years Barcelona (2024)
• 1st National Ace Pigeon Barcelona over 4 years (2025)
• Primus Inter Pares
• Two-time winner of the Bronze Wing BBC (2005 and 2022)
• 1st National Ace Pigeon over 5 years Barcelona (2025) with "Paloma"

In a nutshell: Geert De Coninck’s strategy focused on the Barcelona race

1st and 2nd Provincial Perpignan 2025
Perpignan 2025 was no easy race. The birds faced strong headwinds and were released later in the day. Geert entered 13 pigeons, and at 8:26 AM his first hen arrived—winning 1st Provincial and 3rd National. The second hen clocked at 9:28 AM, scoring 2nd Provincial and 4th National. A fantastic achievement by these two top-class hens.

Other results included:

• Provincial: 24th, 66th, 104th, 127th, 183rd, 200th
• National: 3rd, 4th, 147th, 338th, 460th, 536th, 784th, 895th (7/13 birds in the national prizes)

Both hens were raced to 10-day-old eggs and had already successfully flown and scored at Barcelona 2025. They had also achieved 100% results as yearlings on Agen and Narbonne. These two classy hens delivered a brilliant finale in Perpignan.

Top Performers:

• BE23-4170819 “Zita” – 1st Provincial, 3rd National
  A light check pied hen with a rich pedigree.
  • Father: Inbred to Orange Oil from Gerard Schalkwijk—known for performance and strong breeding.
  • Mother: Daughter of El Campio Barca paired with a Willems-Eijerkamp hen.

• BE23-4170850 “Zora” – 2nd Provincial, 4th National
  • Father: Son of El Campio Barca paired with a hen from the renowned West Flemish Casa Barca line—used successfully by Tuncher for strong Barcelona results.

Both pigeons come from full Barcelona-bloodlines—demonstrating their class also on the demanding Perpignan.

Conclusion:
With clear goals, disciplined preparation, and a carefully built strain focused on long-distance performance, Geert once again proves that top results are possible through consistency and vision.

Congratulations from the Herbots Team!
Geert Dhaenens