François Van Oirschot - Putte-Kapellen (BE) Wins 1° National Montauban with flying colours

The starting signal could finally be given on Monday… and the 6.598 participating pigeons (a reduction of 605 compared to 2009) were liberated at  6h30 for a journey of an average of  800 Km… whereby the pigeons were given the bonus of a strong NW- to Northern wind on the nose.
Hardly 35 pigeons managed to achieve a velocity of 1.000 metre at national level… proving that it was a ‘tough one’ indeed for the pigeons! For a long time it looked like the national victory would be found in the area of Ronse… until suddenly the pigeon from Francois Van Oirschot appeared on the tables.

Francois clocked his pigeon at 20h03’16” from a distance of 845,587 Km which gave the highest velocity of 1.039,74 m/min! A marvellous performance in very tough circumstances with a strong head wind… the pigeon must have fought hard during the race home, and have a ‘super condition’ to achieve such a brilliant performance!
In 2° place nationally in the preliminary prognosis we find  Pierre Vandebuerie from Harelbeke (1034 m), in place 3 it was finally the combination Vanderstraeten-Malfroidt from Ronse (1031 m), at 4 ‘visionary’ Etienne Meirlaen from Deurle (1025 m) who achieved a phenomenal performance… and at 5 Etienne Biebuyck from Avelgem (1023 m).

A real ‘tour de force’
That is the least that we can say or write about the pigeon from Francois Van Oirschot… the man who has, in the distant past, added a Tulle to his name… with this national victory from Montauban. A strong muscular guy with the necessary ‘power’ in the wings, who has now achieved this ‘explosion of power’… and took pigeon loving Belgium by surprise… especially since this pigeon had to race a great many more kilometres compared to his nearest opponent for the ‘national victory’!
Last year François was forced to hold a ‘sabbatical’ for this pigeon because of a smallpox infection during the first few months of the sport season 2009. In 2008 he already illustrated that he felt perfectly at home and that he had a ‘big motor’, as he raced the races with a velocity of 1.000 to 1.100 metres… where he could as it were, engage his ‘turbo’!
He performed as follows
-the ‘1° Nat. Montauban’ B06-6341600
In 2008

Bourges      618 p. 85   (with 1.100 m/min)
Orange       114 p.  8   (with 1.022 m/min)
    Prov     460 p. 45
Issoudun     387 p. 34   (with 1.000 m/min)

In 2009
On non-active through smallpox infection
In 2010
Went firstly to Quiévrain and Noyon and 2 x Middle Distance (380 Km) then to national Bourges at the end of May where he won his prize, to now finally shine from Montauban with:
Montauban  6.598 p. 1   (with 1.039 m/min)

This ‘national winner’ was given to François by his sport friend Frans Bode, who has built up his loft with pigeons from ‘ van Bijsterveld’ and ‘Malfait’… bloodlines which are also represented in his national Montauban winner.  François had basketted 3 pigeons for this Montauban.
His national winner was his only pigeon to arrive home on the day of liberation… his 2° pigeon was clocked on Tuesday morning at 7h13 (24° reported in the club) and his 3° pigeon arrived just too late at club level at 10 o’clock.
François is a pure ‘long distance fanatic’ in heart and soul… and only races the long distance races. Due to lack of space Frans has a minimum load of  20 widowers (inclusive old birds + yearlings), 8 breeding couples and 50 youngsters on a yearly basis. His youngsters are only trained well… wherefrom the ‘favourite cocks’ are stopped after 2 middle distance races (of roughly 380 Km) with an eye to the future.

As a yearling they are given a ‘training’ up to Limoges… and once they are two years old they can slowly but surely take part in the national ‘long distance voyage’! The widowers are always coupled at ‘Candlemas’ (2 febr.) and raise a couple of youngsters. When they have older youngsters the hen is temporarily removed so that she doesn’t lay again. 2 weeks later they are coupled again… François calculates it so that he can train his pigeons during brooding. Before leaving his pigeons are only allowed to see their ‘brooding dish’ for a short time… when they return home their deserved reward is waiting for them, and their hen is waiting in the living box!
Feel free to call it ‘pigeon sport without frills’… but with a strong stock of long distance pigeons and a built-to-last coaching… which gave  François Van Oirschot this magnificent performance with new ‘national victory’ from Montauban… in which the ‘law’ of the ‘strongest’ was applicable. And old saying taught us that in the ‘long distance’ it is always the pigeon ‘self’ that has to perform…  in other words they have to be ‘capable’! Something which was more than proved by François Van Oirschot in this Montauban from 2010… for which a fat ‘well done’!