B24-5093111
1st National Bourges 17,186 yearbirds
Fastest of 35,453b.

Distance: 515km
Velocity: 1,840.59 m/m

Few can say it, but Lode and his wife Rita can say with great pride in their voices that national victory number 3 is in the bag. After Argenton '98 and Chateauroux '17 it was now up to their yearling cock "B24-5093111" to bring the national victory from Bourges to the Ringlaan no. 5 in Maasmechelen. "De 111" was not only the fastest in his category but was, with a lead of 9 m/m, also the fastest of all 35,453 Bourges flyers. What a fantastic performance!

Oh yes... for this national flight Lode had basketed 2 old and 2 yearling pigeons. This proves once again that you don't necessarily have to be at the basketing table with 100 pigeons to achieve a national victory.

With thanks to wife Rita

Lode's health is not so good and luckily his wife Rita is there to lend a hand. In addition to helping in the loft, Rita is also the secretary on duty. Thanks to her good administration, Lode now knows exactly what each pigeon has won and in consultation with Rita it is then determined which pigeons participate in which flights. “I also have to count on her when it comes to the Pass system,” Lode continues. “Last weekend we were still waiting for stragglers from a middle distance flight when suddenly my “111” fell on the shelf. Rita was still busy in the cellar and I didn’t know if the “111” had been registered. One of the letters was sent to the cellar and came back with the message that everything was in order. That was quite stressful!”

Lode has been racing pigeons since 1957. First together with his father Etienne and now completely independently. The name Visschers & Zoon comes from back then and Lode wants to keep this name alive.
The current colony is based on 3 names, namely Fernand & Koen Mariën (Tielen), Etienne Stassen (Dilsen-Stokkem) and recently Remans Marcel (Diepenbeek). The national winner was born from 2 ring-ready youngsters from Fernand and Koen Mariën, but when we analyse the pedigree we see that the winner is 50% Vandenheede on both the father's and mother's side.
In addition to "Gerry Plus", "Champion Plus" and "Superstar" from Versele-Laga, Lode also feeds the mixtures of Natural ("Finesse Light") and Van Robaeys ("Winter/Rust"). The last days before basketing, peanuts are given and bird seed no. 58 from Beyers serves as dessert. “Variety is the spice of life”, Lode says.
Medically, veterinarian Fernand Mariën is consulted once a year and during the season Lode sometimes dares to sit in the waiting room of veterinarian Norbert Peeters (As).
The pigeons live in spacious attic lofts, above the house. Lots of air and space for both pigeon and fancier. “In the beginning it didn’t work out so well”, Lode says, “but when I put 20cm thick insulation in the roof, the performances suddenly improved a lot. You see… every loft is different and it is a matter of finding what is the very best for everyone.”

Lode and Rita… congratulations from the entire Herbots team with this magnificent victory and on to national victory number 4!

Stefan Mertens