It is Saturday morning, June 6, 2026. While the Overijssel town of Westerhaar is still wrapped in a deep sleep, the tension at the Veenstraat is already running high. Christianne and Reinder Niks watch the dawn with narrowed eyes. A day earlier, the pigeons were released in Perigueux, France, for a grueling journey of over 918 kilometers. The weather conditions along the flight line demanded the utmost from the athletes: a clear night, a treacherous wind, and a course where only the very strongest overnight racers could hold their ground.
And then, as if it were the most normal thing in the world, a pigeon drops onto the landing board at exactly 04:32:07. It is the 4-8162535. With a fabulous speed of 1866.656 meters per minute, this class act storms straight to victory. While the rest of the Netherlands has yet to wake up, the top combination claims the first prize on the result sheet. A pure demonstration of power, leaving even the most established names in the marathon pigeon world completely in their dust.
The foundation of a top loft
This kind of fireworks does not just appear out of thin air. Anyone diving into the history of this likeable husband and wife combination discovers a story of forty years of passion, craftsmanship, and an unwavering belief in quality pigeons. In 1985, the first young pigeons flew around their loft, all of them gifts from fellow club members at p.v. Ons Genoegen at the time. It did not take long before the victories started piling up. In 1996, the entire region was turned upside down when they claimed all the championships in both the club and the federation.
The legendary foundation cock De Generaal really set the pace by winning the 1st NPO Munich in 1998 and finishing 2nd against the entire Netherlands. A year later, they were crowned the very last General Champions of the illustrious Afdeling 9. When the switch was made entirely to the grueling overnight long-distance races in 2002, after winning the 1st Ace Pigeon at the VNCC with Lady, the competition knew what time it was. When Comb. Niks sinks their teeth into something, they do it to win.
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The ironclad numbers behind the success
What makes the performance from Perigueux so impressive is not just that golden early bird. It is the strength in depth of the entire team. This is top-tier sport in its purest form. Reinder and Christianne basketed 19 pigeons and managed to clock no less than 9 of them in the prizes. That represents a prize percentage of nearly 50 percent in one of the toughest disciplines the sport has to offer.
The preparation in the spring was already running like clockwork. Starting the season with 48 racing pigeons and plenty of kilometers in their wings, the birds quickly showed they were bursting with health. The secret of the loft? Good feeding, a rock-solid routine, and an unparalleled intuition. The pigeons recover rapidly and display excellent orientation when they are on their own in the dark of night.
The golden genes of Inanna
Winning is woven into the DNA of this colony. Experts never tire of talking about Inanna, the absolute queen of the loft, who was crowned the best afternoon release pigeon over the last 3 years at Stichting Marathon Noord in September 2025. To capture a title like that, a pigeon must perform like a Swiss timepiece for three consecutive seasons when the conditions are at their harshest.
It is precisely those genes that are visible once again on the Perigueux result sheet. These pigeons possess the unique ability to accelerate when the rest have to give up. Furthermore, those rock-solid basic traits ensure that successful references from other lofts are accumulating at a rapid pace. Comb. Niks Pigeons guarantee character, perseverance, and pure speed in the grand distance races.
With this fabulous victory, the 2026 marathon season has become legendary in one single blow. It is the pure magic of the pigeon sport: the goosebumps moment when the early morning is broken open by a pigeon writing history. The flag is flying high with pride in Westerhaar!
Jan de Wijs
The Pigeon Boss
More About Comb. NIks