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"With Distance in Mind" Click here for the Barcelona Challenge Entry Form Click for visitors to the Barcelona Challenge Lofts The McGee/Tyerman Barcelona International Lofts were established in the spring of 2007 at Hernicourt, near St Pol sur Tenoise, in northern France. This location is some 70 miles inland from Calais, not far from Arras, and about a one hour drive from the port of Calais. Considerable research was done before John and Lou McGee purchased the property, which is in a rural location and best described as a smallholding with several acres of land.
The first forty-foot loft was erected in a field above the farmhouse and has superb views across the Tenoise valley. A second loft for 2008 entries has now been built and is being erected in January 2008. The 2008 YBs will be raced in our local club, which is affiliated to the Nord Pas de Calais Colombophile (Combine) and this large organisation often sends ten thousand plus birds each week to races. The ultimate aim is to ensure that all entries gain as much experience as possible, both as youngsters and yearlings in preparation for the Barcelona International in 2 years' time (as 2 year olds). The original 2007entries from top fanciers in the UK and Ireland will be raced this year against our French counterparts and this has sparked great interest and speculation amongst fanciers in this regional 'hotbed', where racing is very competitive. John McGee has already shown his capabilities when he took fist prize from over 900 birds in his first race in France, and both John and Lou are determined to make a success of the Barcelona venture. BACKGROUND INFORMATION John McGee has been a very successful fancier in the UK and has won numerous prizes in top competition including 1st Open NFC Pau National. John Tyerman is also well known for his distance performances and, as a member of the British International Championship Club, has won many positions from Pau, Perpignan, Dax and Barcelona. The English Channel is a formidable barrier for tired International pigeons returning to the UK and it makes it very difficult to compete against our European counterparts. This is one of the reasons why the lofts were established in France and it now gives every UK and Irish Fancier the opportunity to test their pigeons against the very best in Europe, flying to a location in northern France some 25 miles south of the Belgian border. We cannot guarantee that you will win thousands of pounds in prize money but the prestige of seeing a Scottish, Irish, Welsh or English pigeon in the Barcelona International result will undoubtably bring immense pride to the owner, and the country of origin. This result is studied worldwide and if your pigeon does well you may receive an offer you can't refuse, or you may wish to continue racing the pigeon, as often four, five and six year olds do well continuing to race Barcelona.
The Tyerman & McGee connection Although the distance to our lofts is 620 miles we believe that any good 500 mile pigeon will perform well to our location, as past results show, depending on the wind and weather conditions. We will be competing in a number of French races from 100 miles to 400 miles with the Barcelona pigeons so your entry will have the opportunity to do well in these earlier events, in the build up to Barcelona when the birds reach 2 years of age. You will also be given the opportunity to pool your pigeons in any of these events and this is covered in the terms and conditions. The entry fee is a very reasonable £165 (235 euros) and this covers all costs and race fees over the two year period. Young birds can be sent to John Tyerman by arrangement between January and May 2008, or if you wish you may visit the lofts and take your entries with you. Special arrangements are available for Irish pigeons through Ian Gill, who can be located at the address shown below. Details of the Challenge can be found on any of the following: www.thebarcelonachallenge.com or www.elimarpigeons.com or www.pigeonportal.com or www.pbosolutions.co.uk Terry Peart, the much respected R. P. scribe, visited the lofts with his entries and did a superb article in issue 449 of the Racing Pigeon Pictorial magazine.
SPONSORS Beyers feeds have kindly ageed to sponsor specialist feeding for the Barcelona pigeons, and Geraldy Transport of Germany have agreed the loan of one of their top of the range trailers for training purposes. Bricon have also fitted their timing system to the lofts and it is hoped to eventually link this to the McGee computer allowing us to update the website as the events occur. Brian Wall of Gem Products has also agreed to provide a selection of his famous Gem supplements to ensure top health for all our pigeons. Dr Henk de Weerd has agreed to be the official loft Vet, so all in all we have tremendous professional support for this new venture. PRIZE FUND The plan is to breed a number of youngsters from the yearlings already at the loft and offer these for sale by auction - any monies less expenses will go the Barcelona Prize Fund. A superb trophy will be presented to the winning owner and it will be interesting to see which country has the best team performance. Rest assured we are committed to the success of this new venture and with John and Lou McGee's dedication your pigeons are in good hands. Where else would you get an opportunity to race your pigeons in the world's most prestigious race, and for only £165. (Please note that we will accept four post dated cheques if this is more convenient to the entrant.) Send a deposit cheque of £25 per pigeon or full amount of £165 to John Tyerman, 'Barsac' Farm Road, Bracklesham Bay, West Sussex, PO20 8JT. Phone 01243670351 or email johntyerman@yahoo,co.uk for further info. Terms and conditions will be sent out to all competitors. John and Lou McGee can be contacted at 30 Rue De Belval, 62130 Hernicourt, France. Phone 0033 321 04098 51 or email john.mcgee320@orange.fr They will be pleased to talk to you on a personal basis. Ian Gill is our man in Ireland and he can be contacted on www.pigeonportal.com. Bye for now - John T. Click here for the Barcelona Challenge Entry Form
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