What a weekend, what a race, and what an unbelievable demonstration of pure class! The true experts knew it all along, but last Saturday it was written in golden letters across the sky once again: the absolute kings of the one-day long-distance from Helmond have struck hard. Johan van de Kimmenade and his nephew Dirk Verbakel did not just beat the competition from Issoudun, they completely dominated them. With a performance that commands deep respect, these men captured the highly coveted first prize in Afdeling Zuid-Oost against a massive field of 3,980 pigeons!
As editor-in-chief of PigeonBoss.com, I see stacks of race results every single week, but performances like this make my pigeon heart beat three times faster. This is exactly why our sport is so incredible. This is passion, this is pure craftsmanship, and this is the absolute peak of the Kimmenade Verbakel pigeon family in action.
The Perfect Storm on the Race Line
Let us break down the conditions of the race properly, because a victory only truly shines when you know what the athletes had to endure. As seen on the official race sheets in Kimmenade Verbakel Issoudun 20-06-2026.png, the liberation took place at exactly 07:00 AM in Issoudun, France. The weather gods favored the pigeons with a clear, cloudless sky and a starting temperature of 18 degrees Celsius. There was a very light south-westerly wind, strength 1, which meant the birds had to rely entirely on their own power and, above all, pure orientation skills. No strong tailwinds to hitch a ride on, just flying straight through the sun, flawless navigation, and hard work over a distance of more than 567 kilometers.
These are the races where the real champions rise to the top. Pigeons that are not only fast, but also possess the intelligence and endurance to sprint home in a dead straight line. Johan and Dirk basketed a razor-sharp team of 15 warriors. A compact elite force sent out with a crystal-clear mission.
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The Unstoppable Speed of NL24-4037300M
It was the magnificent cock bird with ring number NL24-4037300M that completely stole the show. While the clocks in Southeast Brabant ticked away and the tension at the lofts rose to a boiling point, this absolute beast tore through the Helmond sky at 14:22:20 PM. With a breathtaking average speed of 1283.086 meters per minute, he left the combined competition of 408 participating fanciers completely hopeless.
The lead this champion took over the rest of the field is phenomenal. It is the ultimate reward for the rock-solid system that these men maintain. Since the start of their successful combination, Johan and Dirk have had only one goal in mind: to excel in the one-day long-distance races with pigeons capable of winning at the top from 100 to 700 kilometers. With the bloodlines originally built via legendary foundation birds and strengthened with the absolute best performance blood, Kimmenade Verbakel pigeons have established an ironclad reputation. You see this not only in their own lofts, but also across countless reference lofts throughout the country that are winning major races with these exact genes.
A Result to Frame
Anyone who thinks it stopped with just that one early pigeon clearly does not know the drive of this loft. The true quality of a colony shows itself in the depth of the results. Take a look at these stunning figures from the 15 pigeons they entered, as beautifully documented in Kimmenade Verbakel Issoudun 20-06-2026.png:
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First prize against 3,980 pigeons with NL24-4037300M
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The 71st and 72nd prize in the section, with the birds practically touching tails, arriving just one single second apart at 14:42 PM
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The 177th prize at 14:54 PM
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The 370th prize at 15:09 PM
In total, an impressive 7 out of the 15 basketed pigeons won clear prizes. That is a prize percentage of nearly fifty percent in a tough section race! It proves that the form at the loft right now is out of this world. The birds are in absolute peak condition, radiating health, and motivated to the bone.
The Beauty of Pigeon Racing
This is exactly why pigeon racing is the greatest hobby in the world. The teamwork between the fancier and his racing team, the early mornings, the passionate care, and the unmatched rush of adrenaline when a bird drops from the sky like a rocket. Johan and Dirk live their sport with a healthy dose of swagger and, above all, an enormous amount of fun. That joy shines right through this result. They show that with a targeted approach, an ironclad family of quality birds, and pure skill, you can dominate the absolute top of the sport.
The competition has been warned for the rest of the season. The train from Helmond has left the station at full speed, and it does not look like it will be slowing down anytime soon. On behalf of PigeonBoss.com, we congratulate the Kimmenade Verbakel combination on this masterful victory. This is promotion for pigeon racing at its absolute finest!
Jan de Wijs
The Pigeon Boss
More About Johan and Bert
