Roger Mertens strikes double victory with 1st Prov. La Souterraine and 1st Prov. Valence II Limburg (Old Birds)

Sint-Truiden – This past weekend, Roger Mertens achieved a rare feat by winning two provincial races on the same day. Out of the three national races scheduled, he did not participate in Pau, but struck gold in both La Souterraine and Valence II.

La Souterraine: 1st Prov. Limburg with “De Kleine Yamal”

From La Souterraine, his checkered white feather cock BE23-5019311 “De Kleine Yamal” took 1st provincial against 333 old birds and 2nd national zone B4 against 383 birds with a speed of 1,077.3169 m/min. He also placed two other birds in the provincial top-20.
Nationally, his team finished 553rd, 951st, and 1,254th against 4,971 old birds – a strong performance provincially and in the zone, even though the national top birds came from other regions.

“De Kleine Yamal” already proved his class earlier this season:
- Bourges: 355/18,634 nat
- Sancoins: 302/7,721 semi-nat
- Argenton: 525/11,557 nat
- La Souterraine: 1st prov. Limburg and 2nd nat. zone B4

Valence II: 1st Prov. Limburg and 10th National with “De Polly”

In the Valence II race (2,344 old birds nationally), his blue white feather cock BE22-5040544 “De Polly” claimed 1st provincial against 205 old birds and placed 10th nationally with a speed of 1,127.6831 m/min.

The rest of the team also performed well:
- Provincial: 1 – 25 – 30 – 48 – 70 (against 205 old birds)
- National: 10 – 390 – 418 – 447 – 669 – 926 (against 2,344 old birds)

Strong 2025 season with results on all major classics

Roger Mertens is a regular name in the top results this season. His performances speak for themselves:
Sancoins (prov. 871 b): 3 – 36 – 41 (3/3)
Argenton (prov. 1,364 b): 144 – 234 – 448 (3/3)
Valence I (prov. 575 b): 15 – 19 – 66 – 111 – 126 (5/8)
Bourges (prov. 1,314 b): 115 – 308 – 417 (3/4)
Cahors (prov. 523 b): 8 – 18 – 27 – 60 (4/5)
Valence II (prov. 205 b): 1 – 25 – 30 – 48 (4/6)
La Souterraine (prov. 333 b): 1 – 11 – 20 (3/4)

“Luca”: The flagship of the loft

One pigeon has stood out for years at the Mertens loft: “LUCA” (BE19-5071448). This cock has achieved top-level results from 2021 until now, including:
1 – 6 – 7 – 8 – 10 – 15 – 16 – 24 – 25 provincially.
He descends from the famous “Radja”, who had a flawless fond season with 14/14 and won 1st prov. Angoulême 2018 under 38°C.

With this double victory, Roger Mertens confirms his reputation as a top fancier in Limburg. The consistent quality of his birds and performances makes him one to watch in 2025.

Maarten Herbots