BICC BARCELONA 2009
Mr Mrs R & L Elliott, Open and East section winners of the BICC Barcelona International race
Report by Pam Gladwin
The birds were marked for the race on Sunday 28th June when 129 members sent 382 birds. The Central Section 22 members sent 63, East Section 77 members sent 250 North Section 19 members sent 40, West Section 11 members sent 29. These birds were then transported across the Channel to Belgium where they were wing stamped and loaded onto the transporters for the last leg of their journey to Barcelona along with birds from Belgium, France, Holland, Germany and Poland.
Almost 28,000 pigeons were released at 9.45 am, our time on Friday 3rd July. As expected, there were no day birds. Saturday was a day of watching the sky for that moment when you see your bird fold up and drop on the loft from 700 miles. We did not send to the race. The birds that can fly that distance are something special and are bred to do that distance. We do not have any that are ready for that challenge, but I can imagine the thrill you must get when you realize that a bird that you have bred is not only capable of flying that far but has in fact won the race.
We went to see Ron and Irene Elliott at their home in Chadwell Heath, who are the winners of this race, on Sunday afternoon. Their winning pigeon, a red six-year-old hen called “Elliott Red Alert", flew 708 miles to take the red card. Ron is not a great one for training and the only training his Barcelona pigeons had were two tosses to Bishop Stortford, which is 25 miles to the north of him. Then the day before basketing, he took one of its babies away and left her with one 12-day-old baby to race home to. They bred the sire “Red Weaver” from Robertson Smith’s “Fountain Lady” and Howden Gold. The dam, “Elliott’s Essential”, is from Chris Gordon lines.
Ron & Irene Elliott - 1st BICC Barcelona
Ron started keeping pigeons when he was nine years old and joined the Fanshawe north road club when he was ten. His first race was from Chatteris 64 miles, and he won his first race aged twelve. He stopped racing on the north road in 1992 and turned south and started winning straight away with the Havering South rd club and picked up a points trophy from Pau. Ron says the most important aspect of the loft is dryness and ventilation and this is the key to his success. He practices line breeding and out crossing, and likes a strong eye. He uses Gem mix all year round introducing extra linseed during the moult. Irene helps him and has her own recipe which she uses for the birds. She uses cabbage water with garlic and onions brought to the boil, she then strains it, and then adds two spoonfuls of mixed herbs.
They have won so many long distance races that it would take up the whole article so I will mention just a few: 1st & 2nd Perpignan BICC; 6th, 11th, 16th, 23rd open Perpignan 626 miles. On the north road they won Thurso four times with the London North Rd Combine. The list goes on and on. Ron must be one of the best long distance flyers.
Mr & Mrs Elliott's winner
The Padfield Family win 2nd Open and 1st West Section. Their 2002 Cheq Pied Cock flew 756 miles and he is no stranger to winning. Just look at what it has won:
2004 BBC Nantes National 16th Sect 23rd Open 3198 birds winning £220
2005 BBC St Nazaire 163rd Open winning £150
2005 BBC San Sebastion 11th Sect 33rd Open winning £42
2005 Single Bird NFC San Sebastian 3rd Open winning £96
2007 Flown Tarbes returned injured.
2008 BICC Pau Inter 3rd Sect 31st Open Winning £150
2009 BICC Barcelona International 1st Sect 2nd Open also probable winner Single bird NFC Barcelona.
Sire: Bred from their Invincible Spirit stock pair a son Grand son of Invincible spirit pair to a Double Grand Daughter of Invincible Spirit. The stock pair, the Sire was out of Mal Cook cock when paired back to a hen gifted to Mal when he bred 1st WNRN Lerwick the hen was a Double Grand Daughter of Invicible Spirit that he bought in the all fare sales in Blackpool for £700. The sire is also a full brother to the sire of this year's BICC section winner Pau International.
Dam: Wim Muller Jan Arden going back to their original Wim Muller pigeons. The Grand Dam was 9th WSRN Saintes and 83rd and 95th open NFC Pau in 1989 and 1990. And on the other side of the pedigree is Old 89 and the good hen. They were 33rd and 63rd NFC Pau in 1995 both on winning day when there were only about 65 birds into UK on winning day.
Racing System for this year for their winning bird: Paired late March and allowed to sit for 10 days, then split from hen and then on roundabout systir, sent to 3 inland races up to 130 miles. Then 3 channel races Lessay, Fourges and Tours 350 miles, then sent to Barcelona; shown hen for 3 hours before basketting. Birds have access to food 24 hours a day 7 days a week during racing season.
The Padfield Family’s second bird is 2nd West section 11th Open. It is a 2001 cheq cock. Here are some of its results. 2004 BBC Nance Nat 132nd Open. 2005 NFC Bordeaux 27th Sect 325th Open. 2007 BBC Palamos 17th Sect 68th Open. 2008 BICC Pau International 7th Sect 77th Open. 2009 BICC Barcelona probable 11th open 2nd West Section.
Sire GB.94.J.02830 Wim Muller x Morgan & Cook Iron Man Lines seven times Lerwick into Wales. 7th Open WSRN Rennes 1995 3,400 birds. 95th Open WSRN Nantes 1995. 390th Open NFC PAU 1997 only 500 in race time. 576th Open NFC PAU 1998. 33rd OpenWSRN TOURS. 56th Open NFC NANTES 2000 9,700 birds.
Dam GB.2000.N.32961 Wim Muller x Willy Clerabaut. 2002 30th Open WSRN San Sebastian. 2003 78th Open CSCFC Dax. 61 Hen down from their old hen 69 33rd NFC Pau 1995.etc. This cock had 3 inland races and then 3 overseas Lessay, Fourges and Tours prior to being sent to Barcelona. Raced roundabout then re-paired sitting 14 days on basketing.
Dave Padfield
2nd Open for the Padfields
11th Open for the Padfields
Terry Johnson is 3rd open 2nd East section with a Dk Pd Hen called "TED'S GIRL", bred 2003. Sire was bred from "PRUNUS", a Jim Donaldson cock, when paired to "ROBINIA", a Geoff Hunt & Son hen. "TED'S GIRL's" dam was bred from "CEDAR", a son of Louella's "VLEKJE", when paired to "CAMELLIA, a grand/daughter of Louella's "Invincible Spirit".
Terry has raced pigeons for 57 years. He flies on his own now although he has had partnerships in the past. "TED'S GIRL" flew 686 miles to win 3rd Open. The birds are raced celibate although the sexes can see each other at all times as he finds this helps to prevent the hens pairing together. He feeds beans ad lib but adds maize, peanuts & sunflower hearts on the build up to the race. The hen has had 6 tosses this year between 60 & 100 miles - no racing. She won 13th ES 38th Open BICC Pau in 2005. Although you could tell she had a hard fly she is none the worse for it and is making up to a cock as he writes this. She will probably go to Barcelona 2010. Returns were very poor & up to noon Sunday she is the only one out of eight. He had previously won 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th Open BICC Barcelona and now 3rd -- he now needs 4th & 5th but he thinks that is a long shot !!!. Terry asked me to include a huge thank you to John Lane & Terry Noble and his wife Marge for all the help they have given him recently through a short spell of illness. Without their help none of this would have been possible.
Terry with Ted's Girl
Alan Dimes is 4th Open ES3. He only sent one pigeon and it is a blue chequer cock bred by Des Coulter. It has flown 695 miles from Barcelona. This year it has also flown to two inland races and four channel races, the last one being Poitiers. He used to race with his Dad but since his Dad died four years ago he has flown on his own.
Mr & Mrs J Peters are 5th open 4th East section. Jim lives in Hornchurch, which is close to the Elliott’s home so we went to see them and take their photo before we went to the home of Ron and Irene Elliott. His winning pigeon is a Jim Biss x 25% Jan Aarden. It was not due to go to Barcelona but the pigeon Jim had in mind hurt its leg so was left at home. Jim knew this pigeon could fly the 708 miles, even though he had not prepared it for Barcelona. Two weeks before it had been to Poitiers 365 miles. It has also been to Alencon 270 miles and Tours 293 miles this year. Jim won Barcelona in 1998 and 2007. Jim had another bird on Sunday morning that is 11th. open 10th east section. It is a 2003 blue chequer, inbred to “Invincible spirit”. It has been to Barcelona twice and has arrived on the second day each time. Jim started racing in 1970 and won the LNRC three times before turning south in 1987. He has had Jan Arrdens for the past twenty years.
Mr & Mrs Peters - 5th Open
Mr & Mrs Ken Hine win 6th open 5th East section. Their 2006 dark chequer cock’s sire is from Mark Gilbert and the dam is from an Eric Cannon mealy hen.
Ken Hine
David Hales wins 7th open 6th East section with a 100% two year old Jim Biss widow cock which has had six + International races. We went to see David, who we have known and raced against over many years. He sent two and by the time we saw him he had both home. We raced with David on the north road where he won everything there was to win and was known as a sprint specialist so he decided to race south and joined the NFC for a new challenge. At first he continued to race North as well. He bought Jim Biss pigeons in 1998 and Alan Parker pigeons in 2000. He won the NFC from Sartilly in 1997, BICC Dax 2005, BICC Perpignan 2008 and. BICC Falaise 2003. His second bird is a Griss Parker cock.
David Hales' pigeon
David Hales - 7th open
A J Turner is 8th open ES7 with a six year old Delbar x Van-Der-Wegan cock. Flying 677 miles, it was sent sitting one baby while driving its hen to nest. He makes up his own mixture, plus conditioning seed. In 2009, it has been to Portsmouth with the local club and Val-De-Reuil with the East of England club. He was being kept fresh for this race and will have no more racing this year. It has won: 1st Bergerac 440 miles, 37th open in the Kent cosmopolitan federation; 27th open 18th East Sec Pau BICC. He has been racing pigeons for 50 years.
R Townsend & Son are 9th open ES8 with a 2005 blue bar hen flying 693 miles. It was sent sitting 14 day eggs. It was 19th last year when it arrived home in such strong winds that the trees were bent over. This year it was sent to Saran with the BICC, Poole and private training. Ray flies in partnership with his son Gary.
Mr & Mrs S Rhodes are next. They paired up their birds six weeks before Barcelona. They race on open hole and their timer raced to 10 day old babies and its hen. They were thrilled to time their six year old Biss cock on the winning day. He is a grandson of " Turban" and his mother is a full sister to "Cubit". He has been a good long distance pigeon having flown Barcelona 3 times now being 12th open, now 10th open, also Perpignan twice, 29th open, and Pau once - all with BICC. They feed Swainston’s all round mix and breed and wean and extra maize, peanuts and oily seeds going into big races this year. For his preparation he had three short land races, then Alencon about 190 miles when he was not home on the day. He was their only bird missing and they were in shock one of their Barcelona birds was down from 190 miles. However, he came back a day later; A hawk had hit him and he was in a sorry state. His secondary flights one side had gone, also his tail flights. They were happy just to have him home. They gave him lots of T L C and his feathers grew back and there appeared to be no internal damage. He started to bounce and they thought maybe the dream wasn't over. Anyway, he did go and they were thrilled to time him on the second day, with him arriving in great condition, as is normal as they are looked after so well with the BICC.
Mr Rhodes
Wilf Reed is 3rd West section with a 2003 blue hen, flying 755 miles. She is a sister to “Endurance” so therefore out of Wilf's long established family of pigeons that won Palamos in 2002. He flies in partnership with his wife and the pigeon was sent having just had her eggs hatched. She had very little training, ten mile tosses and Tarbes with the NFC.
K. Grove is 1st Central section with a 2007 blue bar cock flying 761 miles. He would like to thank Steve Murphy for all his help and all the people at Grove marking station for giving up their time to mark the birds. The bird was on widowhood up to two weeks before the race. It was sent to Falaise and Poitiers and was first to the loft each time. He trains on a different line to the club. He has been racing for 19 years.
Dave Wells - 3rd Centre Section
