What an unprecedented, grueling, and downright frustrating weekend the marathon pigeon sport has just experienced. Dax 2026 will go down in the books as a punishing race of attrition where absolutely nothing was given away. This was by no means a fun race, and for the fanciers in Made, it was a weekend of long hours, tension, and gritting of teeth. But it is precisely during these kinds of grueling moments that a pigeon strain reveals its true character.
Through the heavy clouds and the scorching sun, the Rex de Leeuw Pigeons showed that they refuse to give up, even under the most extreme conditions. With the support of his girlfriend Toos, Rex de Leeuw kept a watchful eye on the clock. Because although the course of this race was far from ideal, his overnight racers proved they possess an indestructible, iron will.
The Drama of Dax: Delayed, Warm, and Headwinds
Dax 2026 presented a flight line that demanded the absolute utmost from both human and animal. The pigeons were forced to wait in the baskets in France for an extra two days before green light was finally given for release. On Sunday morning, July 12, 2026, at 07:15 AM, the time had finally come. But the conditions were brutal from the very first moment:
Days extra in the basket: Due to persistent bad weather at the release site and extreme heat on the flight route, the release was repeatedly postponed. The pigeons stayed in the shipping baskets for nearly a week (since Monday, July 6), which took a massive toll on their energy and hydration reserves before the starting signal even sounded.
Murderous weather conditions: After the release on Sunday morning, the pigeons immediately faced tropical temperatures (locally exceeding 35 °C) and an unmerciful, strong northeast wind. This forced the birds into a hours-long, physical battle of attrition straight against the wind.
Forest fires and navigation issues: The flight route was further complicated that afternoon by a large, sudden forest fire in the forest of Fontainebleau (southeast of Paris). The massive, thick smoke plumes disrupted the pigeons’ navigational abilities, irritated their airways, and forced them into major detours or premature stops. Road transport back to the north also faced significant delays due to the closure of the A6 motorway.
Historically low speeds: The extreme conditions resulted in an unprecedentedly slow race. The national winner clocked his winning bird at a historically low speed of just 695 meters per minute. The international winner (H. Timmers from Oostvoorne) clocked his winning pigeon on Monday at 13:07 PM over a distance of 993 kilometers, which equates to an average speed of just 703 meters per minute (about 42 km/h). The Belgian national winner (Noël Peiren) even took nearly 28 hours to reach his loft. By Monday evening, only about 10% of the pigeons were home in many clubs.
This was not a celebratory sporting flight, but a brutal fight against the elements.
Pulling Two Prizes Out of the Fire
Rex had basketed a team of 8 warriors for this clash of titans. Although arrivals across the Netherlands were extremely slow to get started, two of his top birds managed to fight their way through the tough northeast wind and the smoke plumes:
NL.23-2303992 (140th National): This character cock arrived on the second day of the race in the early evening at exactly 21:06:17 PM on the landing board in Made, after a grueling journey of 991,067 kilometers. With this, he claimed a highly deserved 140th National against 1,922 pigeons.
NL.23-2303945 (536th National): As the second clocked pigeon, this racer also managed to place nicely in the national results at 536th position, securing two valuable prizes for Rex in this punishing competition.
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The Iron Foundation of Foundation Sire Ad
The fact that these pigeons still showed up under such extreme circumstances is thanks to their rock-solid genetic foundation. At the core of the Rex de Leeuw Pigeons stands the legendary foundation sire De Ad (NL.03-0334830).
This powerhouse, who won the 8th National Barcelona himself, has passed down the highly coveted toughness generation after generation —the exact stamina required to keep battling head-on against the wind for hours on end. Combined with the targeted introduction of Cor de Heijde bloodlines, the modern colony in Made possesses the unique capacity to stand strong during the most merciless races.
Character Above All and a Broad Reflection
A race like this Dax is not fun for any fancier, but it does remind us why we have so much respect for these pigeons. Rex de Leeuw continues to experience his sport with passion and dedication, even when the course of a race is extremely difficult. It is precisely because of his straightforward care and medical guidance, relying strictly on veterinary advice rather than blind treatments, that his pigeons maintain the natural resistance needed to recover quickly and healthily after such a punishing battle.
At the same time, this race has sparked a fierce debate on social media and within the pigeon community about the boundaries of our sport. There is deep admiration for the fabulous willpower and vitality of the eventual homecomers of Rex, but at the same time, there is a growing call to critically examine the racing calendars and release policies during extreme summer weather.
The heavy Dax is behind us. The pigeons are back home, and the gaze of the maestro from Made is, despite this severe trial, already firmly and combatively fixed on the upcoming races of the marathon season!
Jan de Wijs
The Pigeon Boss
