Barcelona 2009

[Guest]

Have you yet heard the news of the McGee/Tyerman International Loft race with the aim of getting a British-bred pigeon to win the Barcelona International race in 2009? Loads of flyers were being distributed at the Telford Show and a great deal of interest is already being shown. Geraldy and Bricon are also reportedly showing an interest in the race vis bespoke trailer and ETS.

 

Further details/rules/etc, as and when they become available, will be published at www.pbosolutions.co.uk where some web pages have been dedicated to this event.

 

I am 'involved' in the race to the extent that I am giving the McGee/Tyerman International Loft some help with the web site (foc) and loft management systems ... but I feel sure that the combined experience and expertise of John McGee (winner of NFC, LSECC, and BICC 1st Open prizes in his own right) and John Tyerman will give this venture every chance of success.

 

Remember that the aim is to win the Barcelona International race in 2009. A fantastic dream perhaps but there's little point setting easier targets? Yes, there is a 'one-loft' element to the event insofar as the first pigeon back to the loft from Barcelona will win a substantial cash prize but this isn't a quick-win 'one-loft' race with young birds ... this is a three-year rolling project that will hopefully attract the distance-minded fancier who would like to increase the chance of his gene-pool scoring in the ultimate pigeon challenge ... the Barcelona International.

[Guest]

Think this is a good idea. So they going to be getting birds fromallover with the aim of training racing them etc to win the Barcelona race in 2009? anyone get a weather forcast with wind direction for 2009 (pref a july one!!) let me know please!!

[RoryTheRed]

Hottest day on record 109f with possible thunder storms in France :

[Guest]

cheers! wind south east?

[PIGEON_MAN]

DO YOU THINK THAT RACING FROM THE CONTINENT WILL STILL EXIST IN 2009.

[Guest]

Good point, I'm not sure what i think to that question.

[Guest]

The loft for this event is in Northern France, managed by a British fancier. Therefore the question of whether we from the UK can race from Barcelona is irrelevant to this event.

[PIGEON_MAN]

The loft for this event is in Northern France, managed by a British fancier. Therefore the question of whether we from the UK can race from Barcelona is irrelevant to this event.

 

SORRY DIDN,T REALISE WHERE THE LOFT WAS SITUATED,BUT I SUPPOSE MY QUESTION THEN WOULD BE DO YOU THINK THAT BRITISH FANCIERS WOULD BE ABLE TO SEND BIRDS THERE TO PARTISIPATE AS THEY WOULD BE GOING SOONER THAN LATER I WOULD  THINK.

[Guest]

A complete restriction on the movement of pigeons between EU member states would of course be a showstopper ... but I'm sure that there's little likelihood of this happening regardless of the policy on the actual racing of pigeons.

[PIGEON_MAN]

AS 2007 WOULD BE THE FIRST YEAR BIRDS COULD BE SENT TO THE LOFT(AS LONG AS THERE ARE NO RESTRICTIONS) THAT WOULD MEAN THEY WOULD BE TWO YEAR OLDS IN 2009.JUST WONDERING WHAT OTHERS THOUGHT IF THIS WAS A GOOD AGE TO SEND BIRDS TO BARCELONA OR WEATHER THREE OR MAYBE FOUR YEAR OLD WOULD BE BETTER.

[Guest]

Interesting point about ages ... rather than theorize I'll try and find out the actual statistics on the age of the winning pigeons in, say, the past 10-20 years?

[midnight_son]

I have a question regarding the preparation of the birds. I think it's a pretty good idea in theory. I accept that this may be a rare opportunity for those  in the more northerly reaches of the UK to have a go at the international racing with some hope of winning rather than just an endurance event and hoping to get one home. However the drawback that I see to trying to race old birds in one loft races is the nest conditions and motivation of the pigeons.

 

This is a very different challenge to that of a YB one loft race where all the YB's arrive get put on the dark and get raced out, pretty much a level playing field for the participants I think most agree.

 

Old birds are an entirely different proposition, you'll have birds sent to it whose owners would prefer them on Widowhood while some favour natural. Who is going to supply the mates for these birds or is the plan to keep the sexes seperate ? Does the owner have the opportunity to specify what nest condition he would like his Barcelona entry in ? That would surely be a mammoth task for the organisers but one which would hugely enhance the appeal of the event.

[Guest]

great question!

 

As I understand, as far as is practical, hen the birds are sent to Barcelona they will be in some kind of sitting regime. watch this space on that one ...

 

Youngsters will be bred from the race birds each year so in many ways the management of the lofts will replicate some of what we do in our own lofts.

[TERRY JOHNSON]

Hi Paul, What will happen with the young birds that are bred and who will they belong to ?

[Guest]

They will be sold back to the UK in high-quality kits of 6 ... the proceeds being used to help fund the project ... alternatively purchasers can choose to leave 2008 bred pigeons in the race lofts for the 2010 race.

[PIGEON_MAN]

Just wondering if there was any idea,s on cost for this,going on 1 loft races at the moment which are about £100 per pigeon for 1 year i would think they be talking say about £250 a pigeon,which i,m sure would be out of most fanciers range.

[PIGEON_MAN]

Just found the website about the race looks like it,s £150 per bird.

[AigleAwirs]

It seems a good idea. For me the best age for a Barcelona pigeon is 3 years old.  I hope it will be succesfull. Why not an English pigeon for 1st Int Barcelona 2009?

[Guest]

Since 1952 the age distributuion of the 55 winners of the Barcelona International is:-

 

2yo = 9

3yo = 12

4yo = 19

5yo = 6

6yo = 5

7yo = 3

Unk = 1

 

Interesting!

[Guest]

Tony ... costs £150-165 for the three years ... so when averaged over three years doesn't seen so expensive? Also ... there's nothing stopping people from forming mini-syndicates of their own thereby sharing the cost and/or widening the gene pool of entries.