Team Platteeuw triumphs in Limoges: 1st Provincial West-Flanders against 1103 old birds with top hen “Pamela”

Team Platteeuw continues to perform impressively. On the national race from Limoges, they win the 1st provincial prize in West-Flanders against 1103 old birds with their top hen “Pamela.” Moreover, she also wins 1st prize in the national zone against 1828 pigeons and finishes 3rd nationally against 4695 birds. And all this on a race where the final 250 km had to be flown against a strong western wind – an exceptional achievement.

Pamela: class and character

“Pamela” is a proven talent. She comes from a strong line, as her full sister "Birgit" is also a star. Her national honors are impressive:
4th Nat. Argenton (13,013 b.)
43rd Nat. Libourne (2992 b.)
72nd Nat. Tulle (4993 b.)
80th Nat. Bergerac (3157 b.)

Pamela’s own record speaks volumes:
3rd Nat. Limoges (4695 b.)
27th Nat. Bergerac (3180 b.)
83rd Prov. Orléans (11,670 b.)
116th Nat. Souillac (4073 b.)
233rd Nat. Limoges (6838 b.)

Zone victory against the odds

That “Pamela” also won the national zone is particularly impressive. “Normally, you can only win the zone if you also win nationally,” they explain. “We are always in the wrong zone, starting from Châteauroux center – a place where no races are even released anymore. If zones were based on the actual release point, it would be much fairer.”

2025: a bumper year for Team Platteeuw

The past four weeks have been nothing short of spectacular for Team Platteeuw. They finished in the national top 3 every weekend:
Cahors: 3rd nat.
Valence: 1st & 2nd nat.
Tulle: 2nd nat.
Limoges: 3rd nat.
That results in 3 provincial victories, 2 zonal and 1 national win. So far, they’ve placed 39 times in the national top 100 – a number few can match.

2 locations = double the power

Team Platteeuw races from two lofts: Rumbeke and Kluisbergen (Zulzeke), about 35 km apart. That might not seem like much, but it makes a huge difference nationally. “By racing from two locations, we’re always competitive. But I still need to be a bit smarter,” they joke. “I was waiting in Zulzeke while the winner clocked in Rumbeke!”

World-class pigeon Pieter Jan makes history

Also worth highlighting is “Pieter Jan,” the national winner from Valence with a 24-minute lead. Just seven days later, he placed 2nd national Tulle. This has never been done before on long-distance races: two national top-2 finishes in just one week.

National honors keep growing

The Limoges victory adds yet another provincial title to what is already a legendary season for Team Platteeuw. Shortly before, they had secured their 12th national victory thanks to “Pieter Jan” in Valence.
Their national honor roll now includes wins on 10 different national races – a true Grand Slam in Belgian pigeon sport:
Argenton
Aurillac
Bourges (x2)
Brive
Châteauroux
Guéret
Limoges
Souillac
Tulle
Valence (x2)

Looking ahead: Souillac and new ambitions

“We’re aiming for a fifth podium in a row with Souillac,” they say ambitiously. “Every year we look for a new challenge. This year it was to shine at both locations – and we’ve done just that. We’re proud and thankful.”
With results like these, a 13th national victory seems just around the corner...

Maarten Herbots