DENOLF MARC - KORTEMARK 1st NATIONAL AGEN 4,541b. 2018

15 Jan 2020

Distance: 807km
Velocity: 978,74 m/m

The second international race of the season was the race out of Agen with the old birds, and for the first time also year birds could compete on this race.

The weather gods made sure it was going to be a really tough race for the real fighters and pigeons in top shape. An entire day full of sun and with a severe North – North-Eastern wind, it wasn’t going to be an easy one. Released at 8 in the morning it was going to be a question whether pigeons could make Belgium on the same day. Normally it should have been as the first clocking in in France did suspect that this was going to be the case, especially in the border area.

And this was what happened, a few pigeons around the border made it home the same day…but at 21h44 it was the “Braven Agen” in Kortemark at Marc Denolf that called in. Kortemark isn’t at the border anymore but in the middle of the province of West-Flanders. This red four year old cock didn’t dawdle and beat every single pigeon on national level. Marc only saw him coming the last 50 meters, nicely sideways the stables of the farm, to clock with a speed of 978.74 m/m for a distance of 807km. It was shivering and shacking for a while to realise when it got really dark that they could celebrate the 1st national victory against 4,541b. On an international level he became the 8th against 10,622b and was beaten by 7 Northern France pigeons.

A first national victory and this on a very hard but honest race can be compared to a victory on Parijs-Roubaix or the ‘Ronde Van Vlaanderen’.

Pigeon sport in a Flandrien way

Marc Denolf (57 jaar) and his wife Annie are self-employed and have a farm with greeneries and cattle. They are busy on a daily base with nature and realise more than anyone else that taking care of nature is crucial for all of use on a long term. Taking care, observe well, react immediately, quality and this for both the greenery as for the animals. And this also with their pigeons. No unnecessary things, a good and correct care and it will be the quality that reigns.

Marc isn’t the guy with a lot of paper work, pedigrees exist out of a few copies and the results are from the local club Kortemark (where he races weekly against the top of West-Flanders) .

Focus is on the long distance and extreme long distance and it gets serious over here as from 500km and above. They started with 47 old and year birds and yearly they buy 100 rings for own use. On December 1st they were being coupled and the widow cocks could raise a couple of younsters. The year birds are already being replaced in August to the racing lofts and breed to be more attached to their box.

The lofts are attic lofts, very dry, sunny and clean, but no big luxury. The young birds also reside on brick lofts on the ground floor.

The base of the colony is formed by the historic strong pigeon strain from Kamiel Corneillie from Rumbeke accomplished with pigeons from a few top racers out the region.

The ‘Braven Agen’ is a 100 % Stefaan Van Overbeke

We call the winner ‘Braven Agen’ (‘Good Agen’) as Marc thinks of his pigeons to be rather shy, but this red cock is a quiet, calm, good pigeon. He always behaves very calm between the rest of the force on the loft. He was bred out of 2 pigeons that Marc bought at Stefaan Van Overbeke from Esen-Diksmuide. Stefaan has really good pigeons and Marc wanted some out of the strain of the ‘Colorade’, who has an extra ordinary palmaris on the extreme long distance (with oa. 8th provincial ace bird West-Flanders ELD). We find names as Ampe, Vandamme-Bodaert, Gilbert Deprez, Taildeman, Vandenabeele, Peiren, Florizoone, Blomme in the pedigree of the parents of the winner.

Stefaan was of opinion that these pigeons weren’t up for the real heavy work but Marc was convinced they could do it. On the other heavy races these birds always got home fresh and this was confirmed on the extremely hard Agen with a national victory.

The widow cocks train twice a day with closed windows and get on the quiet days 50% purge and 50% sport and are being fed separately in their box with a spoon towards basketing. Marc dares to give once in a while pure corn as well.

After their early breed, all pigeons go in the aviary until approximately the 15th March. They stay healthy in a natural way and like this the daily care is being brought back to a minimum.

In Spring Wim Boddaert is being consulted for a traditional check-up before the start of the season and beside this they don’t interfere much in a medical way. At homecoming they get electrolytes in the drinking pot and that’s it…care on a Flandriens’ way !

This top pigeon out of Agen isn’t a one-day-fly on the lofts from Marc and Annie.

It has already been a season for the strong once and the widow cocks from Marc showed this with underneath results :

Valence 143 b : 4-12-17-26-46 (5/6). ‘Braven Agen’ had the 12th prize
Cahors 190 b : 10-14-25 (3/4)
Brive 189 year birds: 3-26-49-61 (4/6)
Brive 319 old : 5-19-34-48-67-89-102 (7/7)

It strikes that in the strong club of Kortemark they race head of the race continually and this with a high percentage of prizes. An average colony in amounts of pigeons but with a lot of quality !

Again the proof that pigeon sport as a pure hobby still exists and has a right of existence. We head more and more to professionalising the sport but weekly top results are being set by the true hobby fancier…provided that the necessary quality is present. The loft from Marc Denolf proofs it.

A nice victory, proud winners. Congratulations from the entire Herbots team !