The final race of a season always feels different. Months of preparation, selection, victories, disappointments and relentless work come together one last time.
For Team van Oss, the final verdict on 2026 is clear: they are very satisfied with the season. But satisfaction is not the same as sitting still. The ambition in ’s Hertogenbosch remains exactly where it should be.
Better. Faster. Closer to the absolute top.
The final race of 2026 from Saint Soupplets provided a fitting last chapter. Team van Oss basketed 30 pigeons and won 19 prizes, led by an excellent 4th and 6th against 786 pigeons in CC Den Bosch. The distance to the loft was 343.723 kilometres, with the pigeons liberated at 11:30.
A Fast Final Battle from Saint Soupplets
The first Team van Oss pigeon, NL.26-2640940, was clocked at exactly 15:09:00. With a velocity of 1569.400 metres per minute, that was good for 4th prize.
Just 2 minutes and 17 seconds later, NL.26-2641071 hit the clock for 6th prize at 1553.207 metres per minute.
That opening immediately set the tone. Five Team van Oss pigeons were already on the result sheet by 40th prize.
The complete result was:
4th NL.26-2640940
6th NL.26-2641071
31st NL.26-2641146
35th NL.26-2641117
40th NL.26-2641019
62nd NL.26-2640973
101st NL.26-2640918
123rd NL.26-2640979
141st NL.26-2640912
143rd NL.26-2640909
146th NL.26-2641150
170th NL.26-2641177
172nd NL.26-2641073
179th NL.26-2641164
188th NL.26-2641122
208th NL.26-2641142
209th NL.26-2641129
250th NL.26-2641002
252nd NL.26-2641054
That means 19 prizes from 30 basketed pigeons, a prize percentage of 63.33%.
For the last race of a long season, that is a solid piece of work.
The Weather Helped the Speed, but the Line Still Had to Be Flown
The official result already reported a southwest wind, and the weather observations around the racing line give us a clearer picture of what the pigeons faced.
Near the liberation area, Paris Charles de Gaulle provides a useful weather reference. At 09:30 UTC, exactly around liberation time in France, the temperature was 21 degrees with visibility above 10 kilometres. The wind came from 220 degrees, southwest, at approximately 9 kilometres per hour. Cloud cover was limited to a few and scattered clouds.
Later, the wind in northern France turned more towards the west and increased. By 11:00 UTC, observations near Paris showed approximately 19 kilometres per hour from 250 degrees.
Further north, the Dutch part of the racing line also had southwest as the dominant wind direction. Eindhoven recorded a prevailing direction of 223 degrees, an average wind speed of around 10 kilometres per hour and a highest hourly average of 18 kilometres per hour around midday. The temperature climbed to 23.4 degrees.
For pigeons flying north towards ’s Hertogenbosch, that southwest component was largely favourable. It gave the race a considerable tailwind element, while the more westerly sections added a crosswind component.
That helps explain the pace. Team van Oss’ first pigeon averaged more than 94 kilometres per hour over almost 344 kilometres.
But a favourable wind never puts your pigeon in 4th prize by itself. In a fast race, one small navigation error can cost dozens of positions. The pigeons still have to break correctly, hold the racing line and make the final decision towards home at full speed.
That is where class shows.
Five Performances That Defined Team van Oss in 2026
Looking back over the season and deliberately focusing on races with the biggest competition fields, five performances stand out.
Chateauroux against 36,386 pigeons
The biggest field of the season came from Chateauroux Parc. On 4 July, no fewer than 36,386 pigeons were liberated for this major national race.
Team van Oss produced absolute class.
NL.25-1394828 finished 11th National, while NL.24-8518477 followed with 13th National. On the provincial result against 4,353 pigeons, those same two pigeons took 1st and 2nd. In total, Team van Oss won 43 prizes from 58 entries.
Performing at the front is one thing.
Doing it when more than 36,000 pigeons are in the sky is another level entirely.
Saint Soupplets against 18,841 pigeons
One of the absolute headlines of 2026 belongs to NL.24-8518769.
From Saint Soupplets this hen delivered the biggest possible result: 1st NPO against 18,841 pigeons.
Even more impressive was the confidence behind the performance. She went into the basket as the first nominated pigeon. Earlier, she had already proven her quality from Laon.
This was championship level racing. A major field, a major result and a pigeon delivering exactly when it mattered.
Mettet against 13,781 pigeons
Mettet was another race that showed the depth of the Team van Oss colony.
Against 13,781 pigeons, Team van Oss recorded 7th and 9th in the overall result and finished the race with 45 prizes.
That combination matters.
An early pigeon can make a headline. Two pigeons inside the first ten against almost 14,000 competitors, combined with a deep prize series, tells you something about the complete racing team.
Sens against 7,816 pigeons
Then came Sens on 30 May.
Under demanding conditions, with temperatures climbing towards 28 degrees and an easterly wind making the pigeons work, Team van Oss struck with a performance that became one of the signature moments of the season.
NL.25-1394935 won 1st Provincial against 7,816 pigeons.
NL.25-1394828 followed with 10th Provincial, while NL.25-1394837 took 15th. Team van Oss also recorded 26th and 35th and eventually collected 42 prizes.
Three pigeons inside the first fifteen in a provincial field of that size is a serious statement.
Sens against 6,006 pigeons
Sens appeared again among the season highlights in July.
On a demanding day with high temperatures and northeast wind, NL.24-8518477, New Kyann, once again demonstrated his quality. He took 6th Semi National Sector South East against 6,006 pigeons. Team van Oss also scored 41 prizes from just 50 basketed pigeons on the provincial result, an exceptional prize percentage of 82%.
That is what you want to see from an established top pigeon. Not one flash of brilliance, but repeated performances when the competition gets serious.
2026 Gives the Coming Auction Season Extra Weight
Those five races tell an important story about Team van Oss.
Chateauroux against 36,386. Saint Soupplets against 18,841. Mettet against 13,781. Sens against 7,816. Another major Sens result against 6,006.
Different distances. Different weather. Different moments in the season.
Still the same loft appearing at the front.
That is exactly why the coming auction season becomes interesting. Results are the strongest advertisement a racing family can produce, and Team van Oss has put another full season of evidence on the table in 2026.
We will not reveal details yet, but there are several surprising developments coming around Team van Oss. There is more happening behind the scenes, and we will tell that story when the moment is right.
And there is something else.
Big news about Team van Oss is coming soon.
For now, that is all we are saying.
First the Moult, Then the Winter, Then 2027
The baskets can now stay closed for a while.
The priority changes completely. The pigeons need to moult properly, recover from the racing season and enter the winter period in excellent health. There is no reason to rush anything now.
Because 2027 starts long before the first liberation.
It starts during the moult. It continues through the winter. It is built through observation, health, selection and countless small decisions when nobody is watching.
Team van Oss can look back on 2026 with real satisfaction. There were major victories, performances against enormous fields and another generation of pigeons that showed what they are capable of.
But the mentality has not changed.
- Next year must be better.
- Next year must be faster.
- The road continues towards the absolute top.
Season 2026 is finished.
The ambition is not.
Jan de Wijs
The Pigeon Boss
