Gino Clicque from Wevelgem wins the 1st Provincial Châteauroux against 3,020 youngsters

Wevelgem - Gino Clicque ended his pigeon fancier season in style with an impressive performance at the national flight in Châteauroux. His young pigeon "Tim" won first prize in a provincial competition of 3,020 youngsters. But the triumph didn't end there: Clicque managed to place 31 of his pigeons in the top 100 provincial, which is quite an achievement. At national level, "Tim" also did very well with a 25th place out of 15,060 youngsters. Two of loftmates also made it to the top of the rankings, with a 68th and 70th place at national level, which represents three pigeons in the top-100. 

Winning pigeon from strong bloodlines 

Winning pigeon "Tim" (BE24-3059630) is a first round pigeon and has already made his presence felt with two strong prizes per 10. This pigeon comes from solid bloodlines: he is the grandson of the national aces "Golden King" and "First Lady". On his mother's side, he comes from the line of "Pirate" (3rd national ace) and "Sister Napoleon" of Vermander Eric, whose pigeon "Napoleon" won the 1st national in Montauban in difficult and hot conditions. "Back home, "Tim" flew like a rocket on the sputnik and didn't waste a second. He clearly wanted to be home, but only he knows why," says Gino with a smile.

Exceptional 2024 Season

Gino Clicque looks back on the 2024 pigeon season with satisfaction: “We are very pleased with the performance of our pigeons this year. In total, we won 36 first prizes and claimed five provincial victories. Additionally, there were many top 10 finishes provincially and strong rankings at the national level.”

At Clicque, the young pigeons are raced using the sliding door system. The young birds from the second round, which flew their first national race from Châteauroux, immediately made an impression. The pigeons from the first round, on the other hand, had already flown three to five national races. The hens flew four to five national races, while the cocks flew three national races.

Gino explains that the young birds are let together for about four hours before basketing and are allowed to stay together until the next morning around 10 a.m. upon their return. "The young birds fly once a day and, when the weather is good, are transported up to 30 to 60 kilometers on Tuesday or Wednesday."

Patience Pays Off

For Gino, it is not necessary for his young pigeons to excel right away. "It’s not a priority to fly well with young pigeons. Everything carries over to the next year, except for the birds that come home late and exhausted." According to him, patience is crucial with young birds, as many have not yet paired and do not have a real purpose to return home. He emphasizes that some pigeons only start performing well at distances over 600 kilometers.

"Every year you have yearlings that classify as ace pigeons, even though they didn’t achieve much as young birds. Patience is always rewarded," says Clicque.

Strong Performances at Châteauroux

In recent weeks, Gino’s young pigeons have shown their exceptional form during good flying weather, earning numerous top prizes and chain results. At the Clicque loft, they had a good feeling, as the youngsters flew well, were in excellent condition, and had clear heads. They couldn’t have asked for a better end to the season than the Châteauroux race. In the De Arend club in Gullegem, against 721 young pigeons, they won 42 prizes per tenth and 88 prizes from 146 entered pigeons. Provincially, against 3,020 pigeons, he placed 31 pigeons in the top 100 and earned 58 prizes per tenth. Nationally, 54 of his pigeons finished per tenth, and 88 per quarter from 146 entered pigeons in a field of 15,060 young birds.

With this last victory and the strong performances of his pigeons, Gino Clicque looks forward to the next season with confidence. The results of 2024 promise much for the future, where patience and care for the pigeons will remain central. 
The entire Herbots team extends their heartfelt congratulations to the Clicque family!

Maarten Herbots