Vanlint Michel wins La Souterraine national, 28th of aug 2004 against 3.150 Old pigeons and yearlings.
After living for 20 years in Taiwan, Michel van Lint is back in Belgium. His return wasn’t remarkable, but his return in the pigeonsport was. He started again, very professionaly. He built some very nice lofts behind his house, which he bought already before he was here in Belgium. He lives there together with his Taiwanese wife Yu-Chin and their 11 year-old daughter Linda. He’s been back in Belgium for only two years and he already wons his first national flight. There weren’t a lot of pigeons that participated at this flight, but that doesn’t mean the performance of the pigeon “Adonis” was less good, this pigeons is a yearling who has a Dutch ringnumber 03-1141085.
Three ’teachers’:
Michel says he has had three ‘teachers’ who had some influence on his pigeon carreer.
First : Henry Taverniers from Tienen who was the loft manager of the loft Havenith in the sixties.
Second : was Jan Grondelaers, the big champion from Glabeek. At least once a week they saw each other to talk about pigeons.
Third : Willem de Bruijn from The Nederlands. They met each other for the first time in San Fransisco during a happening about…pigeons, off course. They started talking and later they became good friends. Michel didn’t hesitated to restart with the “De Bruijn-pigeons”. About 50 pigeons moved from Holland to Zoutleeuw. By winning this national flight he proves he chose the right strain.
Method:
Michel thinks about everything, he doesn’t want a loft manager but he gets a lot of help from his wife and daughter.
In 2003 it was the first year they restarted participating at flights for young pigeons and at the start of 2004 he had about 36 yearling widowers. He plays total widowship. The 4 lofts are divided in 4 different looks… In one loft are the checkers, in the other the blue ones… The lofts look exactly the same and every two days the pigeons change lofts. They bred one round of youngsters in the winter and at the end of March there were about 10 days of breeding. Once the season starts, he brings all pigeons, cocks and hens, away to liberate them at a distance of 25 to 40 kilometres from the loft. The hens leave before the cocks. It is up to the cocks to ‘catch the ladies’ and arrive at the loft before or at the same time as the hens. The last practice flight before the race is at the same day as the basketting. Every week the whole loft is being basketted to race a long middle-distance race like Bourges, Nevers, Argenton, La Souterraine,…
The national winner "ADONIS":
Is a direct pigeon from the loft of W.A. de Bruijn from Reeuwijk, Holland. Adonis hurt 3 feathers before he left to La Souterraine (see picture)
12/07 Toury 661st 2.282 p.
19/07 Toury 340th 1.343p.
27/07 Bourges 195th 10.228 p.
4/08 Toury 20th 1.984 p.
16/08 Sens 30th 551 p.
7/09 Vichy 13th 11.448 p.
2004 :
18/04 Laon 61th 333 p.
25/04 Soissons 27th 584 p.
15/05 Toury 11th 977 p.
29/05 Bourges 55th 346 p.
5/06 Blois 17th 254 p.
26/06 Montluçon 9th 237 p.
10/07 Argenton 6th 1.310 p.
7/08 Toury 37th 678 p.
14/08 Argenton 27th 1.445 p.
28/08 1st National La Souterraine 3.150 p.
One last remark : In all his enthousiasm, Michel told us twice that we are more then 10 years behind the modern pigeon sport. Off course we wanted to know more about it, but Michel doesn’t tells us any more… Would there really be some secrets left?
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