The leading national pigeons from Châteauroux finished remarkably close to one another, with the top performances coming from the neighbouring villages of Melden and Kluisbergen (including the districts of Berchem and Zulzeke). It turned into a real sprint and, in the old bird category, it was the first nominated cock of Joost De Smeyter that produced the fastest finishing burst. In his category he defeated the pigeons of his partner Jelle De Bock-De Smeyter, meaning these two true "partners in crime" occupied the top three positions nationally against 5,504 old birds. It doesn't get much better than that in pigeon racing!

Number Seven

Introducing Joost De Smeyter is hardly necessary. This national victory from Châteauroux is already the seventh major victory on his outstanding résumé.

Previously he won:

• 1st International Perpignan against 4,534 yearlings with "Joost" in 2003.
• 1st International Bordeaux against 6,223 yearlings with "Grand Cru" in 2006.
• 1st International Pau against 9,052 pigeons with "Cas" in 2015 (the only pigeon clocked on the day of liberation).
• 1st International Barcelona against 4,820 hens with "Floor" in 2016 (also 2nd International against 15,700 pigeons).
• 1st International Narbonne against 9,154 pigeons with "Celsius" in 2018.
• 1st National Saint Vincent against 3,080 pigeons with "Tadej" in 2021.
• And now:
• 1st National Châteauroux 2026 against 5,504 old birds with "Merlierke".

Joost explains: "Well, you can certainly call it an unexpected victory because here in Melden our main focus is on the international races, while on the greater middle-distance races Jelle (racing under the name De Bock-De Smeyter) usually takes centre stage. But you see... I just wanted to show my partner that I'm still around and that he has to reckon with me as well! (Laughs.) All joking aside, how wonderful is this sport when you can win the first three national positions together? Those are moments we'll still be talking about decades from now, and we'll certainly celebrate them properly once things quiet down a little."

Not to Forget

Cycling runs through the veins of the De Smeyter family. Joost himself used to be an excellent cyclist, while his son Cas is now very close to signing his first professional contract. It therefore comes as no surprise that the national winner was named after local cycling star Tim Merlier, who claimed his second Tour de France stage victory on that very same day.
"Merlierke" was entered as the first nominated pigeon because he had already won the local honour prize from Châteauroux last season. Apparently that only whetted his appetite, as this time he outclassed every old pigeon at national level.
"Merlierke" was raced on the traditional widowhood system. When we handled him, he was extremely nervous, probably because he had been defending his territory in the loft before our arrival.
Anyone who has ever visited Joost knows that his facilities are second to none. Several lofts, built from different materials and facing different directions, house a very large racing team. Keeping so many pigeons is certainly no luxury when your ambition is to compete with a sizeable team in the international races.
As for feeding, Joost uses a mixture of Energy Plus I.C., Champion Plus I.C., Master R. Exclusive and Mariman.
Joost explains: "I like adding Mariman Standard because it contains large yellow maize kernels, similar to the maize the pigeons receive in the baskets during transport to Barcelona."
Regarding supplements, Joost has complete confidence in the Belgavet products. Twister Oil and the "Joost Mix"—an all-in-one supplement from Belgavet—are used extensively over the feed.

"And," Joost says as we conclude our visit, "please be sure to express my sincere thanks to my wife Elsie and to all my very good friends. Without them, pigeon racing at this level simply wouldn't be possible here. This victory is dedicated to all of them. Thank you, everyone!"

"Merlierke"
BE24-4144313
1st National Chateauroux 5,504 old birds

Distance: 464km
Velocity: 1,155.57 m/m

Stefan Mertens