Jeroen & Stijn Rans (Wijgmaal) triumph on flights to Valence and Barcelona

Wijgmaal - Brothers Jeroen and Stijn Rans have achieved a remarkable feat by taking provincial victory at both the Valence and Barcelona national flights. This success testifies to the skill of Jeroen and Stijn and their pigeons in difficult long-distance races.

Valence

At the provincial flight in Valence, Jeroen and Stijn took first place in the Flemish Brabant provincial with their pigeon BE21-2073771, known as "Lucky Kristian". This performance was achieved against 283 old pigeons. At national level, "Lucky Kristian" finished in 15th place out of 2,642 old pigeons.

"Lucky Kristian" was trained in April-May, first twice from Momignies and then three times from Soissons. He then flew from Vierzon on 18 May and Limoges on 4 June. The pigeon was played on a large youngster and incubated for 10 days on a new nest that he and his partner had built on the floor of the loft. His partner, 'Rain Girl', also flew in Valence and took 85th place nationally.

This is not the first time this pair has flown brilliantly: 
"Lucky Kristian" had already won 144th place nationally in Limoges '23 against 7,211 pigeons and 274th place nationally in Cahors '23 against 4,155 pigeons. 
"Rain Girl" had already won 5th place nationally in Narbonne '23 against 6,100 pigeons.

Barcelona

At the national flight in Barcelona, Jeroen and Stijn were once again very successful. With their pigeon BE21-2073743, named "Special Frans 743", they won the provincial first place against 782 old birds. At national level, this pigeon won 3rd place against 6,310 old birds.

"Special Frans 743" was also trained in April-May, first twice from Momignies and then three times from Soissons. She then flew on 18 May from Vierzon, on 25 May from Soissons and on 9 June from Valence, but it was a bad flight and she didn't arrive until around 10am the next day. Between Valence and embarkation for Barcelona, she made another mid-week flight from Momignies and was released daily from Walhain or Lummen. "Special Frans 743" was played at 10 days of incubation.
Prior to that, "Special Frans 743" already flew brilliantly with a 71st Nat. Perpignan '23 against 5.722d and a 118th Nat. Agen '22 against 7.331d.

The success of 'Special Frans 743' was not the brothers' only achievement, as they placed four pigeons in the national top 100. Here is an overview of their achievements:

BE20-2117084 "Special Brother Jef": 51st Nat. Barcelona

BE17-2023591 "Ruud" : 71st Nat. Barcelona

BE21-2023836 "Francoise" : 77th Nat. Barcelona

Provincial and National Series

In addition to the pigeons mentioned above, the Rans brothers' entire racing team put in some excellent performances:
Provincial Barcelona (782 pigeons): 
1-8-11-13-25-28-32-39-41-59-60-69-71-78-85-86-113-130-131-139-142-147-160-280-302
National Barcelona (6.310 pigeons):
3-51-71-77-147-164-182-237-258-418-419-488-528-596-...

Conclusion

Jeroen and Stijn Rans' impressive performances at the provincial flights in Valence and Barcelona are a shining example of their expertise and dedication. Their pigeons, "Lucky Kristian" and "Special Frans 743", proved that they belong to the absolute top, both at provincial and national level. With several pigeons in the national top 100, the brothers are showing that their success is no accident, but the result of meticulous preparation.

On behalf of the entire Herbots team, we would like to congratulate Jeroen and Stijn on their well-deserved victories. We wish them every success for the rest of the season and look forward to their future exploits.

Maarten Herbots