Put the names Rex de Leeuw, Racing Pigeons and Lions Pigeons in one sentence and every serious long distance fancier sits up straight. This is not the man of a one-off lucky break. This is the guy who has been directing the heavy marathon game for years. National victories, international titles, his own family of pigeons and a system that is rock solid.
This article is for fanciers who look further than the result sheet. For those who want to know how an ordinary guy from Drimmelen grew into one of the most respected marathon players in the Netherlands.
Rex de Leeuw is Lions Pigeons. And Lions Pigeons means Racing Pigeons at the very highest level.
From feed salesman to Marathon Man
Rex de Leeuw did not grow up in a famous pigeon family. No golden book full of family champions to lean on. His road into Racing Pigeons runs straight through his day job.
In the nineties he works as a livestock feed salesman. Slowly the questions start coming about pigeon feed. He adds it to his range, talks more and more with fanciers, loads bags of feed into the car and somewhere between the farmyard and the warehouse the spark hits. In 1994 the first youngsters arrive, in 1995 the first races. His own verdict on those early years is honest and hard. It was trial and error and a lot of learning.
The real turning point comes in 1999. Dax. A hard long distance race that many admire from a distance and only a few dare to enter. Rex puts a pigeon in the basket, mainly Van Wanroy in the background, and wins first prize in the club. The 400. That is the moment the switch flips. No more half measures. From that day he chooses the marathon.
Around 2001 he has new lofts built and fully commits to overnight long distance. First in Drimmelen, later in Made. During the day he works hard as a Training Specialist for logistics giant DSV, where he runs training programmes and projects. In the evenings he sends his Racing Pigeons as Lions Pigeons over the toughest routes in Europe. Same discipline, same structure.
Lions Pigeons means a family, not a lucky mix
Everybody knows someone who has “a good one” in the loft. Nice for the club house. It is not how you win big marathon classics.
Rex de Leeuw did something very different. He built a family. A line. A story that makes sense when you look at pedigrees and at results. At the heart of that family you find one cock that is already close to legendary status in the long distance world. De Ad.
De Ad, NL03-830, is not a paper champion. He raced hard himself. Eighth National Barcelona and multiple early prizes on the heavy marathon races. But the real magic is in what he bred. Daughters that win 1st National Bordeaux. Daughters that win 1st National hens and 2nd National Perpignan. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren that pop up as a red thread through the results with top positions on Narbonne, Tarbes, Agen and other classics.
De Ad carries Eijerkamp Müller and Van Seeters blood, with a National Perpignan winner in the background. Around this base Rex carefully built further. Not by randomly buying boxes of vouchers, but by targeted strengthening with real marathon Racing Pigeons.
He brought in Van Wanroy blood, already proven on Dax. He connected with Cor de Heijde and added that hard, relentless long distance type into his Lions Pigeons family. He injected Ko van Dommelen blood, Jos Martens and even a cock from Arjan Beens. When it made sense, he did joint breeding with top names like Jeroen van Heumen and again Cor de Heijde.
That is how Lions Pigeons was created. A family made for 900 to 1100 kilometres, where the clock only really starts late and fragile pigeons fail. In Made, they are still coming.
The system behind the results
If you only look at results, you see gloss. If you look at the system behind Lions Pigeons, you see craftsmanship.
Rex plays his Racing Pigeons on the nest. Fully committed. He lives for motivation. He uses more nest boxes than strictly necessary. Nests in straw on the floor. A small shelf positioned exactly where a pigeon feels like the king of the loft. A feed tin next to the bowl.
The loft in Made is about fourteen metres long. Sections for old birds, yearlings and youngsters. In winter they move to the aviary. Between Christmas and New Year the sexes are separated and the cocks go to the boxes. Around the twentieth of March he pairs them up. That is when the real work starts.
Rex builds his Racing Pigeons up with races up to roughly four hundred kilometres. Club, Hank, Oosterhout, always one night in the basket. These are nest pigeons, not classic widowhood cocks you can send every week. They must gain experience without being broken.
A core rule at Lions Pigeons is simple. Old birds must fly two marathon races. No hiding. They only sit on youngsters for the first big task of the year. His favourite nest position for basketing is a youngster of five to six days old. If you scan the list of national top prizes, you will see that exact position coming back again and again.
Training is kept clear and logical. In the pre-season the pigeons train once per day in the evening. He deliberately holds the form down for a long time with darkening and irregular training times. About three weeks before the first long distance race the switch flips. Then they go out twice per day for over an hour and they have to really work. No lazy circles around the trees, but proper training.
This is not a romantic story. This is Lions Pigeons as top level sport.
Feed and medicine for Lions Pigeons
Rex does not make things complicated. He also does not guess.
The nutritional base is the Galaxy range from Beyers. At the beginning of the season he uses lighter mixes to keep the pigeons sharp. As the long distance races get closer, he switches to Long Distance and Energy type mixes. In the last days before basketing he adds extra high energy mixtures and peanuts to fill the tank. Energy Plus from Versele Laga also comes onto the menu at the right moment.
After a race everything is about recovery. Recup products from De Weerd on the feed, Belgasol in the drinker, sometimes oil with extra proteins. In autumn a targeted treatment against paratyphoid. No medicine box full of random products that get used “for the feeling”.
Medically, Rex trusts specialists. Droppings checks, throat swabs, regular visits to Jan van Wanrooy and the veterinary clinic of De Weerd. He only treats when there is a real problem. One time BS, one time something for the heads and that is it. No standard cures, no routines without diagnostics. That is exactly why his Lions Pigeons can go through a heavy season without losing their natural resistance.
Racing Pigeons do not win National races on stories. They win with health and depth. Rex understands that very well.
Dax 2024 and Georgina: Lions Pigeons at full power
Put yourself in his position for a moment. ZLU Dax, replacement for St Vincent. Liberation in France. Headwind on a large part of the route, later turning to south-west. Nothing is given away.
Rex de Leeuw selects four Racing Pigeons. His first nominated is Georgina, a yearling hen. Her first real marathon task. She is sitting on her first youngster, exactly five days old. That is the nest position he lives for. On paper she is prepared for Narbonne or another late classic. In practice the planning for Pau and Agen forces a different choice. Those pigeons are given extra time to recover. The pair with Georgina is in perfect condition. She goes to Dax.
What happens next, every serious marathon fancier already knows.
In Made, around 22.27 in the evening, at roughly nine hundred and ninety kilometres, Georgina drops onto the board. No earlier report, no hype, she is simply there. The clock records her arrival and a few hours later the heavy marathon world knows what she has done. First National Dax ZLU with Lions Pigeons. Four in the basket, results 1, 289 and 435 National.
And what sits behind Georgina in the pedigree.
One hundred percent Cor de Heijde blood. Through Harold van Wegberg, Don Michel and Queen Tonny, the National Barcelona winner of Frans Bungeneers. The dam is a direct Cor de Heijde hen, already the mother of a top pigeon on Bergerac. That kind of Racing Pigeons DNA is built for the late sprint in the dark.
No coincidence. No lucky hit. This is Lions Pigeons at full power.
More than one race: a pattern over years
You can call one National win luck. When a name keeps appearing for three, four, five years on big stages, the discussion ends.
With Rex de Leeuw you see a clear pattern. National Bordeaux sector 1. International Narbonne with a top position for Bertus. Cathy as National Ace ZLU. Beautiful Narbonne hitting the top on Narbonne over multiple seasons. Amazing Louise with a Sector National win plus a series of early prizes. Bets showing herself on Barcelona. And then Georgina on top of that.
That is why his name keeps showing up in international rankings. The PIPA IATP Ranking for example. That is not a small local championship, but a ranking of the best first nominated pigeons over several international long distance races. Rex wins that ranking in 2021 and repeats it in 2024. Twice on top among the biggest names in Europe.
You do not manage that with luck. You do it with Lions Pigeons and a system that delivers, season after season.
The man behind the numbers
Results alone do not tell the whole story. Rex de Leeuw is not only a champion. He is also a club man and an organiser in the sport.
He is chairman of the Madese Bond. He works in committees of his regional federation. He is chairman of Fondclub Zuid Nederland. In the winter months he is travelling to meetings, prize givings and gatherings while many others stay on the couch.
At the same time he sends a clear message to other fanciers. Stay positive. Think about how our sport looks from the outside. Respect volunteers. Do not just complain on social media, step forward and help.
That is why a name like Rex de Leeuw matters for Racing Pigeons as a sport. He proves you can compete at the top with Lions Pigeons, build a real long distance family and still take responsibility for the future of pigeon racing.
Why you should keep an eye on Rex de Leeuw and Lions Pigeons
As the Pigeon Boss I say it straight.
When a name keeps reappearing in championship lists, international rankings and major reports, you pay attention. Rex de Leeuw is one of those names. Lions Pigeons is not a marketing trick. It is the result of years of investment in bloodlines, systems and mentality.
For every fancier who dreams of Barcelona, Narbonne or a National win on the heavy marathon, this is a real example. Not something to copy blindly, but something to learn from. How to build a family. How to keep your system simple but tight. How to handle the medical side with a cool head.
Rex de Leeuw, Racing Pigeons, Lions Pigeons. Remember that combination.
These are the stories and the people who keep pigeon racing strong and alive. Exactly the kind of fancier who deserves a place on PigeonBoss.com.
Jan de Wijs
The Pigeon Boss
Questions? Feel free to contact Rex...
