Jeroen & Stijn Rans (Wijgmaal) win 1st Prov. Barcelona Vlaams-Brabant against 720 pigeons

On the queen of all races, Barcelona, Jeroen & Stijn Rans struck once again. Their BE23-2008805 was the fastest of all 720 entries in the province of Vlaams-Brabant, claiming a prestigious provincial victory. Nationally, among 6,167 competitors, he landed a superb 8th place.

Team performance at its best

This win was no coincidence. In Wijgmaal, the birds returned in fine rhythm, resulting in no fewer than 9 pigeons in the top 50 provincially:
1st, 6th, 8th, 10th, 14th, 17th, 27th, 39th, and 41st in Vlaams-Brabant.
Nationally, the team performance was equally outstanding. With 8th, 35th, 48th, 56th, and 86th national, they placed five pigeons in the national top 100 out of 6,167 birds — a result only possible with a top-tier loft.

BE23-2008805: class and pedigree

The provincial winner is no fluke, quite the contrary. BE23-2008805 is a grandson of the proven breeding cock NL16-1882210, a direct son of "New Laureaat", the legendary winner of the 1st Barcelona International 2013 against 25,382 pigeons. The influence of this line can still be felt, as the sire of 805 produced 46th nat. Pau '25, 89th nat. Valence '25, and also sired several other top national pigeons. The granddam of BE23-2008805 is "116", the dam of "Jef" (1st I.Nat. Barcelona '19 of Stijn and Jeroen), who herself has produced several national top flyers, such as 1st I.Nat. Barcelona '19, 2nd Nat. Valence '18, the 13th Nat. Tarbes, and so on.

Barcelona is their trademark

Jeroen & Stijn’s loft is bursting with long-distance talent. With prior provincial victories and (Inter)national top results on Pau, Narbonne, and Perpignan, their name is well-established in overnight racing. But Barcelona remains something special after their International victory with "'Jef". And when you win 1st provincial and 8th national again… you know you’re dealing with a top-class colony.

Maarten Herbots