A fantastic solo
Clocked at 16h30"16' for a distance of 668 km, 'Tetske' had an average speed of 1.261 m/min, arriving home no less than 7 minutes ahead of the pigeon from team BDS-Speybroeck (1.244 m/min), with a pigeon from Bert Van den Berghe completing the podium (1.240 m/min). She also had the highest speed of the 7,993 pigeons entered for this race, old birds & yearlings together. For father & son Van Gaver, this is already their third national victory after Jarnac yearlings in 2015, Brive yearlings in 2018 and now another yearlings' race from Brive in 2020: three long distance races for yearlings. The demanding race schedule of their pigeons probably has something to do with it. The team from Moortsele is basketed each week for a 450-750 kilometer race, all the way from the first to the last race of the national calendar! Their result in Brive clearly show that their pigeons are still in a good rhythm:
15/08 Brive national (668 km) - 3,755 old birds:
46-73-116-162-227-252-... (11/14 per 4 with 6x per 10)
15/08 Brive national (668 km) - 4,238 yls:
1-15-64-101-117-127-365-409-... (15/19 per 4 with 8x per 10)
The national winner is a small blue hen called 'Tetske' and she had already showed what she was made of last year, winning two provincial victories in the young birds' category! She was entered for the first long distance flight of her career in Brive she did not disappoint, to say the least!
- 'Tetske' (BE19-4207135)
1. Orléans provincial 6,154 YBs
1. Blois provincial 5,208 YBs
1. Brive national 4,238 YLs
Highest speed from 7,993 pigeons
19. Chevrainvilliers 661 YBs
356. Issoudun nat zone 4,627 YLs
684. Bourges nat zone 8,545 YBs
...
Sire: 'Son Tietsin' (BE18-4201204)
Direct Sam Bostoen, winner of a 86. Aurillac nat. 3,584 p., 62. Châteauroux nat. zone 5,438 p., 85. Châteauroux nat. zone 4,035 p., 792. Argenton nat. 22,826 p., etc.
He is a son of breeding pair 'Brother Ace Norma' ('Ace Norma' was 1. Provincial Ace Long Distance KBDB 2015) x 'Tietsin' (from the basic lines Drinker, Tiets, etc). 'Tietsin' was already grandmother of 'Charlie', Best yearling from Belgium with 5 prizes in the long distance in 2018.
Dam: 'Deep Traveling 681' (BE17-4202681)
She is a daughter of 'Deep Blue', 10. National Ace all-round KBDB in 2017 with a 22. Jarnac national 3,904 p. & 51. Brive national 5,929 pigeons, etc. Her dam, 'Traveling Princess' is an excellent breeding hen and daughter of super pair 'De Kleine Schonen' x 'Van Gaver duivin', an excellent breeding pair for races of 100 to 700 kilometers with many national references. 'Traveling Princess' was already mother of a 3. Châteauroux provincial 4,076 p., 10. Vierzon provincial 3,848 p., 46. Issoudun national 2,212 p. & 56. Limoges national 10,554 p, etc.
A super 2020 season
Tom & Marnik Van Gaver climbed to the top of the ladder in Belgium, which takes total dedication from the fanciers involved, combined with a group of exceptional pigeons. The racing birds are put under enormous pressure each year, racing a very intense schedule which only the strongest birds can cope with. At the end of the year, the selection process is fierce. It is thanks to this philosophy that they are now running a highly efficient team that can take the win in races ranging from 100 to 800km. The season will soon come to an end and 2020 has been quite exceptional ready, with for instance a national zonal victory in Issoudun, an 11. National Ace Pigeon longer middle distance KBDB and several prizes in the national top 100. But the biggest challenge is yet to come: Tom & Marnik are currently ranked 2nd National Champion Long Distance 1+2 KBDB and they can still improve their coefficient in Tulle next weekend, to try to end the season on the highest rung of the podium. But they have to compete against one of Belgium's pigeon racing monuments: the Vandenheede brothers. This level of competition says something about the quality of this loft. We haven't heard the last of this pigeon family...