B24-4096350
1st National Tulle 4,277 yearbirds

Distance: 639km
Velocity: 1,387.40 m/m

3:31:10 PM… the exact time when renowned pigeon veterinarian Karlo Van Rompaey clocked his 8th national victory. It was the hen “Amalia’s Porsche” (B24-4096350) who secured the win. Twenty years ago, Karlo won 1st National Bourges with his cock “Jos”, and since then, he has been a formidable opponent for the competition. After his top season in 2023 – during which he claimed three national victories (from Aurillac, Souillac, and Libourne) – a major auction was held. As a result, Karlo is now rebuilding his team of old and yearling pigeons. This new team is made up of birds from both PEC and Kaier bloodlines.

Chaos

For the 2025 season, Karlo started with a team of 8 old birds and 40 yearlings. Most of them are females, and that’s why he opted for the “chaos system” as the racing method. In fact, it’s a system quite similar to that used with young birds. The old and yearling pigeons don’t have a fixed partner; some cocks dominate one or more nest boxes, while others only have access to a perch. This results in pigeons that are sometimes extremely motivated – but also sometimes completely unmotivated – when basketing. The advantage of this system is that an unmotivated pigeon can quickly become a highly motivated one when its situation changes. Karlo took advantage of this just before the basketing for Tulle. For example, “Amalia’s Porsche” didn’t have a fixed partner, and thus little to no motivation to go all-out during races. But before the Tulle race, Karlo deliberately only brought together the pigeons that would be basketed, meaning… a whole new world opened up for “Amalia’s Porsche”. A new love, likely spiced with a bit of jealousy, may have pushed her to bring home the national win to “Kabei” in Sint-Truiden. Although… during our visit, “Amalia’s Porsche” was just sitting on a perch, seemingly “aimlessly” watching what was going on in the loft. But then again, who can really say what goes on in the mind of a motivated hen? “Amalia’s Porsche” is medium-sized, has exceptionally thick plumage, and is super muscular—truly a beautiful pigeon in the hand.

The national victory from Tulle is a welcome boost for Karlo. Normally, this weekend was supposed to host the first national race for young birds, but “one-eye cold” had other plans. A pity, especially since the wind direction was favorable for the Sint-Truiden area, but “Amalia’s Porsche” made everyone forget about that.

Wishing you continued success,
Stefan Mertens

Stefan Mertens