One Of My Favourite Posts Of The Year

[Rooster J. Cogburn]

Read over an old thread the other night and came across midnight son's;fantastic, interesting and encouraging post on the SNFC/SNFC longest race.

 

 

"Apologies for what is likely to be a long post but this race is one of the highlights of my year and has provided some great moments. I hope the race never dies and I think there are things that could be done to revive it. I may be biased as my dad and I have had a lot of success at the race in recent times and I was brought up to think of it as the most important race of the year. I wish it was more competitive and more members would have a go at it. In other national clubs the longest race is the big one i.e. Barcelona in the BICC/BBC, Tarbes in the NFC. The most celebrated pigeons in Europe are still the 600 milers and beyond but for some reason in Scotland, we've got a downer on it. Maybe its the lack of international opportunities that our neighbours have down south.

 

When I was growing up with national racing through the late 80s and early 90s my dad religiously voted for the Nantes race to be the gold cup when they used to have the vote on the Rennes entry sheet. This always puzzled me as at that time we were hopeless at the long race but were banging them in from Sartilly and Rennes as it was then. I couldn’t understand why he was voting for a race that we could hardly get on the result from to be the big one when all our success was in the 500 to 550 races. He stuck to his convictions that the 600 mile race was the ultimate test and has held that view ever since and luckily our results at it have improved.

 

There are some misconceptions about the race which don’t help it’s cause and a better understanding/appreciation of the race is needed. Here are a couple of things that I think a majority of members wrongly believe.

 

1. That it is “always†a hard race, and there are never day pigeons and you’ll be hanging about for 3 days waiting. That is rubbish. As with all racepoints, you do get a hard one every so often and clearly if you get a hard one from 600 miles plus then it’ll be worse than normal. However in recent seasons we’ve seen Dave Pirie win it in Aberdeen timing in fairly early on the day in quite a fast race but even on a steadier day my dad was 2nd open in 2006 and 2011 timing on the day for 612 miles (mother and son). Tours to us is 612 miles and on a 40mph day that is only 15 hours 20 mins. I say only but if you think you’re a good long distance flyer with the right stock then a 15 hour fly won’t scare you unduly. I’m sure plenty on here have tales of 15, 16, even 17 hours on the shift. There is nothing better than that.

 

I can just about remember the 1984 Nantes race, aged 7. My dad, neighbour John Bosworth and John Ellis (Elphinstone, not Wellbank) had all timed on the night into the village and were on a real high. When the race closed and clocks were controlled I was sent off to bed of course but I gather the three of them ended up staying up all night, having a drink and playing pool or snooker in the back garden until it was time for the race to re-open on 2nd day. That doesn’t happen at Clermont. It was the buzz of doing it at the longest race that had so pleased them. Nowadays its all this doom and gloom about it lasting 3 days but it doesn’t have to be like that.

 

2. You need an old warrior that has loads of experience for this race. No you don’t, you need a good pigeon, bred for the job and given enough experience for the task without damaging its willingness to give you everything. I hear a lot of folk saying they’re trying the long race because they have a bird that has done 3 or 4 channel races always on the 2nd day and isn’t fast enough so will be ideal for the long race. That’s the wrong attitude to take, we used to do it ourselves until the penny dropped. If you send a bird that is hours behind at 500 miles then it will be the same hours behind plus a few more at 600 miles, it might scrape a position on a scattered result if the race has run to a 2nd afternoon or 3rd day but its not going to do 600 on the day to win the race or the section. These veterans know what it is to sit out and come home in their own time on 2nd day so it doesn’t worry them. I think you need a fairly unspoiled bird, something that doesn’t want to sit out and will keep going when the wings are tired to get home or as close to home as possible on the first day. Examples of the type of bird we’ve sent in the last 10 years or so, as you can see these were largely fresh pigeons, not scarred by lots of nights out and hard races:-

 

10th open Chenoise – 2nd time over

2nd open Chenoise – 3rd time over

2nd open Tours – 1st time over

5th open Tours – 1st time over

8th open Andrezel – 2nd time over

4th open Bourges – 1st time over

2nd open Tours -2nd time over

 

3. Its too for/ too difficult so I’ll give it a miss. If you are already flying the channel then it’s not that much of a leap. A light tail wind at 600 miles will see the birds home in less hours than a head wind in the gold cup. I don’t understand the reluctance of folk to have a go, just try it. Its only a normal gold cup with 2 hours flying tacked onto it, it’s a challenge but far from impossible.

 

A couple of things I’d like to see happen that would improve the appeal of the race:

 

1. I’d like to see the section, region and overall national averages given a lot more of a push. That should be the main aim of the season for members. Its virtually impossible to win any single national race outright but if you can demonstrate that you can spread your team out to be in the hunt at every race that should mean just as much as someone hitting a home run one week and never being seen for the rest of the year. Too many members just write off the longest race because they don’t try for the national averages but in the club racing the averages are the most prestigious thing. Nobody remembers who won Selby in the club but they all know who won the averages. If you’re not in a location to win the outright averages then go for your region and section averages, still a great achievement. If the averages became important to everyone then automatically more would try the long race as they’d need a time-in to win them. The thought of missing a channel race should be too painful to contemplate. I’d rather have 1 or 2 at each than send 6 to Alencon and skip Tours.

 

2. I think the race would be better supported and attract more attention from the members in general if it was on a different day to Ypres. It loses a bit of the spotlight when the two are on the same day and if it stood alone it might get more members to send who are currently happy to get their race that weekend from Ypres. Pigeon men like a race and if you put a race onto a blank weekend then chances are a few more would send than when they have 2 options on same day."

 

 

what posts have stood out for you this year?

[paddymac]

Very good reading and interest to those of us that like the longer races :emoticon-0137-clapping:

[geordie1234]

Agree that this was one of the best posts this year

[Blue Tooner]

Read over an old thread the other night and came across midnight son's;fantastic, interesting and encouraging post on the SNFC/SNFC longest race.

 

 

"Apologies for what is likely to be a long post but this race is one of the highlights of my year and has provided some great moments. I hope the race never dies and I think there are things that could be done to revive it. I may be biased as my dad and I have had a lot of success at the race in recent times and I was brought up to think of it as the most important race of the year. I wish it was more competitive and more members would have a go at it. In other national clubs the longest race is the big one i.e. Barcelona in the BICC/BBC, Tarbes in the NFC. The most celebrated pigeons in Europe are still the 600 milers and beyond but for some reason in Scotland, we've got a downer on it. Maybe its the lack of international opportunities that our neighbours have down south.

 

When I was growing up with national racing through the late 80s and early 90s my dad religiously voted for the Nantes race to be the gold cup when they used to have the vote on the Rennes entry sheet. This always puzzled me as at that time we were hopeless at the long race but were banging them in from Sartilly and Rennes as it was then. I couldn’t understand why he was voting for a race that we could hardly get on the result from to be the big one when all our success was in the 500 to 550 races. He stuck to his convictions that the 600 mile race was the ultimate test and has held that view ever since and luckily our results at it have improved.

 

There are some misconceptions about the race which don’t help it’s cause and a better understanding/appreciation of the race is needed. Here are a couple of things that I think a majority of members wrongly believe.

 

1. That it is “always†a hard race, and there are never day pigeons and you’ll be hanging about for 3 days waiting. That is rubbish. As with all racepoints, you do get a hard one every so often and clearly if you get a hard one from 600 miles plus then it’ll be worse than normal. However in recent seasons we’ve seen Dave Pirie win it in Aberdeen timing in fairly early on the day in quite a fast race but even on a steadier day my dad was 2nd open in 2006 and 2011 timing on the day for 612 miles (mother and son). Tours to us is 612 miles and on a 40mph day that is only 15 hours 20 mins. I say only but if you think you’re a good long distance flyer with the right stock then a 15 hour fly won’t scare you unduly. I’m sure plenty on here have tales of 15, 16, even 17 hours on the shift. There is nothing better than that.

 

I can just about remember the 1984 Nantes race, aged 7. My dad, neighbour John Bosworth and John Ellis (Elphinstone, not Wellbank) had all timed on the night into the village and were on a real high. When the race closed and clocks were controlled I was sent off to bed of course but I gather the three of them ended up staying up all night, having a drink and playing pool or snooker in the back garden until it was time for the race to re-open on 2nd day. That doesn’t happen at Clermont. It was the buzz of doing it at the longest race that had so pleased them. Nowadays its all this doom and gloom about it lasting 3 days but it doesn’t have to be like that.

 

2. You need an old warrior that has loads of experience for this race. No you don’t, you need a good pigeon, bred for the job and given enough experience for the task without damaging its willingness to give you everything. I hear a lot of folk saying they’re trying the long race because they have a bird that has done 3 or 4 channel races always on the 2nd day and isn’t fast enough so will be ideal for the long race. That’s the wrong attitude to take, we used to do it ourselves until the penny dropped. If you send a bird that is hours behind at 500 miles then it will be the same hours behind plus a few more at 600 miles, it might scrape a position on a scattered result if the race has run to a 2nd afternoon or 3rd day but its not going to do 600 on the day to win the race or the section. These veterans know what it is to sit out and come home in their own time on 2nd day so it doesn’t worry them. I think you need a fairly unspoiled bird, something that doesn’t want to sit out and will keep going when the wings are tired to get home or as close to home as possible on the first day. Examples of the type of bird we’ve sent in the last 10 years or so, as you can see these were largely fresh pigeons, not scarred by lots of nights out and hard races:-

 

10th open Chenoise – 2nd time over

2nd open Chenoise – 3rd time over

2nd open Tours – 1st time over

5th open Tours – 1st time over

8th open Andrezel – 2nd time over

4th open Bourges – 1st time over

2nd open Tours -2nd time over

 

3. Its too for/ too difficult so I’ll give it a miss. If you are already flying the channel then it’s not that much of a leap. A light tail wind at 600 miles will see the birds home in less hours than a head wind in the gold cup. I don’t understand the reluctance of folk to have a go, just try it. Its only a normal gold cup with 2 hours flying tacked onto it, it’s a challenge but far from impossible.

 

A couple of things I’d like to see happen that would improve the appeal of the race:

 

1. I’d like to see the section, region and overall national averages given a lot more of a push. That should be the main aim of the season for members. Its virtually impossible to win any single national race outright but if you can demonstrate that you can spread your team out to be in the hunt at every race that should mean just as much as someone hitting a home run one week and never being seen for the rest of the year. Too many members just write off the longest race because they don’t try for the national averages but in the club racing the averages are the most prestigious thing. Nobody remembers who won Selby in the club but they all know who won the averages. If you’re not in a location to win the outright averages then go for your region and section averages, still a great achievement. If the averages became important to everyone then automatically more would try the long race as they’d need a time-in to win them. The thought of missing a channel race should be too painful to contemplate. I’d rather have 1 or 2 at each than send 6 to Alencon and skip Tours.

 

2. I think the race would be better supported and attract more attention from the members in general if it was on a different day to Ypres. It loses a bit of the spotlight when the two are on the same day and if it stood alone it might get more members to send who are currently happy to get their race that weekend from Ypres. Pigeon men like a race and if you put a race onto a blank weekend then chances are a few more would send than when they have 2 options on same day."

 

 

what posts have stood out for you this year?

 

 

I would agree. First class post from jamie. Cant understand why so many choose not to go to the longest race. From Tours we fly 708mls into Peterhead and most of our club members who fly in the national will send to Tours. IMHO 600 miles and above is true long distance. Too many fanciers doubt the ability of their birds but if you dont send you wont win. I havent missed a national race for at least 5 or 6 years and many times havent clocked in, but at the same time have had a good few thrills along the way. Failing to time in is no disgrace as it happens to most. You just have to pick yourself up and try again. So come on guys give the longest race a go!!

[eastcoaster]

Great post Jamie and those set of results are awesome .

[R.A.M.C.63]

Good read jamie, an great results, :emoticon-0137-clapping:

 

Best thread i,ve read this year is WaltersBoswell59 on Y/bs and Vacinations

think it Answers lot of Questions concerning, how u got it or ware it came from,

Questions Fanciers aways ask themselfs,

Think the ANSWER,S are thier if ur looking for them.

Am not one of unfortune it Fanciers who get it year in year out,

if i have had it, would have been 1998 before thier was lot of info about it,

but that doesn,t mean i wont get it, so any info on how to avoid it is Wellcome.

ATB Ronnie

[Chris Little]

Likewise, I agree, that is a great post from Jamie

 

The longest race is the one we aim for

[Gogga]

Good read jamie, an great results, :emoticon-0137-clapping:

 

Best thread i,ve read this year is WaltersBoswell59 on Y/bs and Vacinations

think it Answers lot of Questions concerning, how u got it or ware it came from,

Questions Fanciers aways ask themselfs,

Think the ANSWER,S are thier if ur looking for them.

Am not one of unfortune it Fanciers who get it year in year out,

if i have had it, would have been 1998 before thier was lot of info about it,

but that doesn,t mean i wont get it, so any info on how to avoid it is Wellcome.

ATB Ronnie

 

 

Here, here

[Guest stb-]

I think for this type of racing you have to be of a different mind set.

 

I know guys who cant fathom out why anyone would want to spend a season setting birds up to compete against 80 birds at troyes and The 268 birds at acensis and to them the birdage is the important thing and think its very mickey mouse for a national race and think it more of a challenge to beat 5000 birds at 350 miles . The fact of the matter is theres less and less folk wanting to wait that length of time on birds and think more and more are favouring say ypres etc where they can normally be clocked by tea time and descent returns over a short time period . These guys are in the majority now and the exstrem distance is deffo not growing and i personally think the low birdage nowadays in scotland put most of even bothering with it .As has been said our counterparts in the south have

much bigger birdage to fly against in the international races and to many of them again the bigger birdage is the appeal to try hard .

This is not my opinion on it as i think birds from the greater distance are a different class but thats only m o

and yes a good read

[Kyleakin Lofts]

Excellent reading and for distance enthusiasts, the longest race must be the grail.

[walterboswell59]

agree m8 i think the longest race should be the gold cup race i hope to try it this year if all goes well