Channel Racing, Fresh Or Jaded?

[Guest mick bowler]

Now heres one for you, sure to (hopefully) offer good debate.

 

What pigeon racing from across the channel do you think has the advantage (if any), the one that has flown 300-400 miles up through France then has to fly the channel (jaded when crossing), and then a short trip over land in the UK to home, or the pigeon that has 100-200 miles (max) to fly inland of France (relatively fresh when crossing) then cross the channel with a long trip left up through the UK? Assume both birds will be racing the same disatnce in total.

[Guest Gareth Rankin]

Depends on many things including wind, heat and the terrain that the pigeons have to finish too after flying 14-16 hours on the wing.

[greenlands]

When I was a boy all the old timers didn't like Averanche,they said it was too near to the coast and prefered Rennes or Nantes.Averanche to my loft was about 426ml Rennes 462ml.

The way racings gone over the past few seasons and looking at the amount of birds on the Fed sheet it would be nice to keep one long enough to get it over the water.

Lindsay

[Guest mick bowler]

and that was that!!!

[Guest Hjaltland]

I would have thought that this would have been a major thread..

 

We have had similar discussions racing into the far north from the UK mainland (into Shetland).. are we better getting the birds to fly for a time overland before hitting the sea.. ? this does seem logical. Our experiences liberating from Orkney where there is little in the way of lead-in are littered with poor returns (although we do occasionally have a good one) and there is evidence to suggest that liberations down the country are certainly no worse.

 

I guess I'm stating the obvious when I say one major factor involving the sea crossing is the big drop in temperature as the birds come off the land and out over the sea. This will undoubtedly affect the willingness of some birds to carry on. Feather quality, mental toughness and motivation I guess will have a large bearing on outcomes.

 

All the best anyone flying the channel or indeed Lerwick this year.