Verkimpe - De Waeghe (Oostakker) win 1st Prov. Bourges III East Flanders against 5,985 youngsters

Oostakker - Nico Verkimpe and Gilbert De Waeghe delivered an extraordinary performance last weekend by winning the first provincial prize for the national flight from Bourges for young pigeons. Their pigeon, BE24-4095497, was the fastest of all 5,985 youngsters in the province of East Flanders. This remarkable victory was made even more impressive as the pigeon was also the second fastest of the entire field of 8,636 old, yearling, and young pigeons in the province. Nationally, their pigeon took 47th place out of 26,549 youngsters.

Den Bruno

Nico Verkimpe enthusiastically shares, ‘I only play with young pigeons, from speed to long distance. On Saturday my pigeon 4095497/24 achieved an individual top performance, even if my collective performance at Bourges was not as strong. This little cock, which we call ‘Den Bruno’, is from the second round. Bourges was his sixth flight, and just a fortnight earlier he flew second prize out of 194 youngsters at Pontoise locally.’

Good preparation: Pontoise, a springboard to success

Nico Verkimpe and Gilbert De Waeghe's recent victory in the Bourges III provincial flight did not come out of the blue. The key to their success lay in the meticulous preparation of their youngsters, who were carefully groomed for the flights at Pontoise. These flights served as ideal preparation for testing the pigeons.

On 28 July 2024, 194 young pigeons took part in the Pontoise flight, where the Verkimpe - De Waeghe pigeons took the lead and occupied no fewer than seven first places. They followed each other without any problems on arrival at the loft, which testifies to their excellent condition and form. The result is impressive:
Pontoise 28 July 2024 - 194 youngsters:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 17, 45, 57, 64, 65

Two weeks later, on 10 August 2024, the same day as the Bourges III release, 197 youngsters took off for another flight from Pontoise. Once again, the Verkimpe - De Waeghe pigeons showed that they were in top form by making a series of strong arrivals:
Pontoise 10 August 2024 - 197 youngsters:
1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 11, 12, 14, 17, 18, 22, 23, 32, 33, 48

Despite the excellent preparation for the Pontoise flight, it is regrettable that the performance at Bourges III was not collectively strong. Nico Verkimpe and Gilbert De Waeghe can nevertheless look back on a brilliant victory with ‘Den Bruno’. This individual triumph is a consolation and confirms the potential of their loft, even at times when the collective result is less good. The victory shows that their efforts have not been in vain and gives them confidence for the future.

System & Pigeon Stock

Verkimpe added: ‘I play on sliding door and follow a feeding schedule with Beyers Galaxy. In winter, I have about 80 pigeons for breeding and from these I breed about 100 youngsters for the racing season. My pigeon stock consists of races from Vlaeminck Hugo, Debusschere Roger, Van den Abbeel-Van Paesschen, and recently I added pigeons from Ally Norbert and one from Hok Bommerez (The father of ‘Den Bruno’, bought through PBids Bommerez at Herbots).’

BE22-2088279 ‘Rebel Prince’ - sire ‘Den Bruno’

Previous Results

Over the past five years, the duo has achieved impressive results:
Argenton II 2019
19th National against 23,256 young birds / 9th Provincial East Flanders / 17th National Zone A2
Bourges 2022
10th National against 23,847 young birds / 2nd Provincial East Flanders / 2nd National Zone A3
Bourges 2024
47th National against 26,549 young birds / 1st Provincial East Flanders / 1st National Zone A3

With this victory, Nico Verkimpe and Gilbert De Waeghe confirm their know-how in pigeon racing. Their success is the result of careful breeding and training, combined with a keen eye for quality. 
The entire Herbots team wishes Nico and Gilbert heartfelt congratulations with this wonderful achievement!

Maarten Herbots