Rene Verborg Belgium 1st International Barcelona 1994

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Barcelona dreams sometimes come true!
Thanks to Bruno Messiaen for acquiring this story which hopefully will inspire fanciers like myself to fly Barcelona.

Rene Verborg Belgium- 1st International Barcelona 1994(29,329 pigeons)

René was born on the Pauvre Leute in Marke on 18 November 1918. His father Gustaaf Verborg was a pigeon and rabbit skin salesman and mother Maria Christis took care of her two children. As soon as he could ride his bike, René was given the task of bringing the inspectors to the two classrooms on Sunday morning, in Aalbeke and in Bellegem, where father Verborg then basketed for Arras.
At the age of 14 René left school to work. He was successively employed by various employers and started playing and basketing with the pigeons independently because father no longer had much interest in them.
During WWII there was no pigeon game, but René still kept his pigeons.
When the war was over, he started playing in his own name, but because the family moved a few times, the results were somewhat lacking.
Together with a business partner, he opened a garage in Marke. The collaboration lasted eight years until René joined the transport company Nuyttens and five years later at Linofil.
In the age of 40, he bought 10 youngsters from André Vandewalle in Wevelgem, which he succeeded well with. He played well and won many awards. That led to the changing of pigeons.
Where father had always played at the speed, René was looking all these years to catch up and move from speed to middle distance and the long distance to finally make Barcelona his dream flight.
A dream come true when in 1994 he not only won Barcelona nationally on 12,399 pigeons but also became internationally primus against 27,329 pigeons! He had 11 pigeons with him at the time. His "Blue Barcelona" made his dream come true!
Pictures showing Rene when aged 76 with his champion Barcelona International winner