<pre><pre>B.I.C.C. C.S.C.F.C B.B.C. Bordeaux National Provisional Race Report Friday 11 th July 2025 1 st OPEN BICC, NIC STEVENS OF NORTH PERROTT 1 st CSCFC, Preece Bros &amp; Lovell of Abertillery 1 st OPEN BBC, BRIAN &amp; VIV WALL OF HAVANT The BICC, BBC and CSCFC held another very successful joint race. The race produced a total birdage of 2,018 birds. They were liberated at 5.30 am on 11 th July, in the hope of beating the rising temperatures in France and the UK. Many members duplicated in all three clubs, but the race produced an individual winner for each club. This race report covers the Open and Section winners in the BICC, BBC and CSCFC and is a combined report by Clare Norman and Mike Jackson. Many thanks go to the sponsors of the BICC race. Mircea Cioc for a portrait photo of the winner and Benzing for sponsoring a Benzing Smart Loft System to the winner. This report is based on member’s first bird verifications and the final result may differ. The weather/race report Steve Appleby, the BICC race and weather advisor, provided the following report: As we were all aware the main concern for this race was the heat wave forecast for Friday and the weekend. Due to the good early morning weather conditions over France, it was possible to achieve an early liberation Friday morning at 05:30 am. This was essential due to the forecast of rising temperatures throughout the day. Allowing the convoy to race in the cooler hours of the morning was certainly an advantage. Temperatures reached over 30C in many areas in France and England. In fact, Friday was recorded as one of the hottest days on record this year by the Met Office. On Saturday second day pigeons were faced with weather conditions that almost mirrored those of the previous day. At 10:20 am on Friday the captured satellite picture (see image) shows the cloudless skies over the complete race route. No clouds, therefore, no relief from the heat of the sun. Winds were light generally from the E/N/E, not the best direction for this distance race. Visibility all round was very good, and the channel was clear. A very testing race in difficult conditions, well done to those bird’s timed in. Satellite image 1 st , 2 nd &amp; 3 rd BICC Open &amp; 1 st, 2 nd &amp; 3 rd South West Section, Nic Stevens of North Perrott. What a performance by the man from North Perrott. Taking 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd in the BICC National! The day after the win, Nick said he still couldn’t quite believe it and he had been overwhelmed by the phone calls and texts of congratulations. Other than a top pigeon fancier, Nick is a fantastic worker for the BICC members. He convoys the birds to Belgium for the International races and treats all the birds as if they were his own. His 1 st OPEN BIRD IS A CHEQUER COCK OF PADFIELD WIM MULLER X DAUGHTER OF BILL STRIBLING’S BILLS BOY. 2 nd OPEN IS THE CHEQUER WHITE FLIGHT COCK BIRD WHAT IS HALF- BROTHER, SAME SIRE, TO THE 1 st OPEN COCK. FOR this pairing, the father was paired to a double granddaughter of Wim Muller’s Techno M. And the third bird is mostly a Wim Muller bred hen. I feel that I am building a team around the Wim Muller bloodlines that now showing and I’m hoping will be the basis of my team going forward. I do think they show through on tough days. If I have one tip, to share, it’s that I use, Quill Boost Tonic in the water every day of the tear. It lowers the ph among other things, and I think this help with the prevention of cocci, canker and worms. Can I also add my thanks to Lawerance and Marg Cowley who very kindly come out of their way to basket and take the birds to Paulton, also Tracey, my girlfriend, who looks after everything while I’m away. Not sure what she does, but please keep doing it! I think my grandfather, Frank Hutchings, a Barnes’ boy, would have been proud. I have a great photo of him from around 1925, that I love. Can I also send my thanks to Pat and Steve, the convoyers, who are doing such a great job in the extreme heat. Well done lads! Frank Hutchings Nic &amp; Tracey celebrating the win 1 ST OPEN, 1 st NW Section CSCFC &amp; 4 th OPEN, 4 th SECTION BICC, PREECE BROS &amp; LOVELL OF ABERTILLERY. Firstly, we would like to thank all who phoned and text us to congratulate us on our performance out of Bordeaux. It’s no secret that this has been our ambition for more years than I can remember. Even when our father and uncle Henry were alive, they wanted to win this race competing against the best at 500 miles. Although we have come close before, this is our ambition fulfilled. I can&#039;t express the dedication shown by my brother, Leigh, and partner, Jason Lovell, on making this possible. Take a bow boys you deserve it. The pigeon we timed is called Gwasted Jump Down. He&#039;s called this for two reasons. Firstly, just like his grandfather, he has a dropped tail feather. So, that’s one theory you can chuck in the bin! And, secondly, he does not like humans much and always jumps out of his box when you go near him. He&#039;s been a very honest pigeon, and his best performances are 26 th OPEN CS CLASSIC MESSAC, 2 nd WSR Nat, 11 th SECTION CS CLASSIC BORDEAUX, 9 th WSR Nat and 21 st SECTION BICC NORT SUR EDRE. He is a 3-year-old blue round about cock bird, and he looked a picture when he arrived considering he had flown nearly 15 hrs on the wing. He is 50% Lefabre/Dhaenen being a grandson of Gwasted Mottle, 4 times Bergerac in the prizes, including 2 nd ,17 th OPEN CS CLASSIC, HIS GRANDAM IS GWASTED Madam, a top racer for us including flying Agen on the day from 570 miles. These 2 contain the best of Bobby Lee and Jeff Davies Lefabre/Dhaenen blood. The dam is 50% Geoff and Catherine Cooper, down from Farmer George &amp; Eustuse line and 50% our old Grizzle family. I have sent a photo of my father’s old loft, where the dream of winning the Classic started, I hope they are as proud as us. Jason Lovell, John Preece &amp; Leigh Preece The old Preece Bros lofts Gwasted Jump Down 1 st OPEN, 1 st SECTION A BBC / 3 rd OPEN, 1 st SE Section CSCFC &amp; 1 st South Centre Section, 7 th OPEN BICC, Brian &amp; Viv Wall of Havant. Winning Bordeaux with our single entry was one of the biggest thrills I have had in pigeons. The BBC was the last of the big four for me to win. The winner is an exceptional pigeon that is always among my first birds back in every race. Two weeks before Bordeaux he won the section in the NFC from Sigogne. He won the section from same race the year before, so as you can see, he is what we call a ‘good bird.’ He was in excellent condition when he returned from Sigogne and I knew I had to send him to Bordeaux. I kept him confined to the loft for four days after Sigogne with his hen. I had every intention of separating them after a few days but against my better judgment, I left them together for the ten days before marking for the race. I gave him as much feed as he wanted, a top race mix with added energy mix and condition seed. He is usually always raced on widowhood. His sire is from James Parker, from Top Dog lines and his dam is a direct Paul Macalony from Zulu Princess. He’s a medium sized bird with a lovely balance in the hand. Whether I race him next year depends on how the losses are in the young bird season. I am a big believer in saying, ‘you don’t get champions by leaving them in the loft’. We were over the moon to clock him, and he looked as if he hadn’t been anywhere. This is something I always find with top birds. We would like to congratulate the other winners of the race and to thank the convoyers for looking after the birds on a very hot few days, when they were confined on the transporter. Brian Wall 2 nd &amp; 8 th OPEN, 2 nd NW Section CSCFC, Mike Hathway of Bristol. Mike timed two blue hens from his Janssen based family. Both birds are closely related to his recent 1 st OPEN CLASSIC PAU WINNER. THEY were raced on Mike’s spare hens’ system. They are not paired up, but are sent every week with high Littleton FC, West of England South Rd Combine or to Channel races. Because Mike has very little room in his small back garden these hens are housed in his young bird’s section. The young birds keep them exercising well and at this time of the year they take an interest in the young cock birds that are maturing. Mike wants to thank all the workers in the Classic club for doing such a good job organising these races. 2 nd OPEN, 1 st SECTION G BBC, 2 nd South Centre Section, 8 th OPEN BICC, DAVE &amp; JAMES NOVIS OF Brighton. Heatwave was raced on widowhood and had been our best yearling prior to this race. Having had two Channel races before Bordeaux and was our first bird both times. He also won as a baby, so he had shown promise. He was bred by Fred Hall of Worthing from a brother of 26. Many thanks Fred. 3 rd OPEN 2 nd SECTION A BBC / 4 th OPEN 2 nd SE Section CSCFC / 3 rd South Centre Section, 9 th OPEN BICC, Jimmy Wearn &amp; Erik Neilson of Ramsdean. Jimmy and Erik timed a 3-year-old blue hen at 8pm to take a top three place in each section in the three clubs. Mike Hathway Dave &amp; James Novis Jimmy Wearn &amp; Erik Neilson 1 st , 2 nd , 5 th , 6 th , 9 th ,10 th , 11 th , 13 th , 15 th &amp; 18 th SECTION C, 4 th , 9 th , 12 th , 13 th , 20 th , 22 nd , 25 th , 27 th , 31 st &amp; 41 st OPEN BBC / 6 th , 9 th &amp; 13 th, 14 th , 19 th , 20 th , 23 rd , 26 th &amp; 31 st OPEN, 1 st 3 rd , 4 th , 5 th , 7 th , 8 th , 9 th , 10 th , 11 th &amp; 15 th SW Section CSCFC. Dave &amp; John Staddon of Ditcheat. An incredible team performance on the hardest of hard days. Dave sent me the following details to share. “What a weekend, the heat was unbearable for us, never mind the pigeons, but our team has done us really proud. We are delighted to win the Section in both the BBC and CSCFC from Bordeaux. Congratulations to Brian and Viv Wall on winning the BBC Race. A special mention for our great mate Nick Stevens for his monumental performance in winning 1 st 2 nd and 3 rd BICC Bordeaux, a result truly well-deserved by one of the sport&#039;s real good guys. Congratulations to John and Leigh Preece and Jason Lovell on winning the CSCFC, a race I know they have always dreamed of winning. Lastly, well done to all SECTION WINNERS AND EVERYONE WHO TIMED BIRDS IN THIS MOST DIFFICULT OF TESTS. Our first bird was a yearling cock now named Major Miracle, and he was raced on our Chaos Widowhood System and fed on our own Bamford&#039;s Staddon&#039;s Chaos Mix and Bamford&#039;s Energy Corn. After winning the section in both the CSCFC and BBC and BICC Dax races, it takes our haul of section wins to 7 this season, with our old birds as well 1 st OPEN FROM THE BBC FOUGERES NATIONAL AND 2 nd , 4 th &amp; 9 th OPEN DAX, SO WE ARE ONCE AGAIN ENJOYING A VERY GOOD SEASON. The cock is bred from our top racing cock, Meteor Miracle 2 x 1 st SECTION NATIONAL 2 nd OPEN NFC 2028b, 6 th , 7 th , 9 th &amp; 13 th combine. He has bred 2/857 Combine 2/996 Combine both BBLM and 2 nd SECTION BBLM &amp; 6 th OPEN CSCFC. HE IS THE NEST BROTHER TO MIRACLE MAKER 4 X 1 st SECTION NATIONAL, 3 rd BICC, 3 rd BICC 6 th NFC 20 th BICC 1 st OPEN CSCFC, 2 nd , 3 rd , 7 th , 7 th Combine, and he is also the sire of 1 st SECTION 5 th OPEN CSCFC VIRE 2025. THESE NEST BROTHERS ARE BRED DOWN FROM OUR CHAMPION BREEDER, The Real Miracle, breeder of 6 x 1 st SECTION IN NATIONAL RACING AND 5 X 1 st Combine. The dam of the section winner is Miss Best Kittle, and is a Granddaughter of Best Kittle &amp; Best Kittle II bred by Dean Childs who has proven to be a very useful breeder for us this season, as she already bred 2 nd Sec 6 th OPEN CSCFC VIRE, 1 st SECTION NFC NORT SUR ERDRE IN 2025 AND 1 st &amp; 2 nd SECTION BBC BORDEAUX, 1 st &amp; 3 rd BBC Bordeaux (Duplicated) Our second pigeon was the nest brother to the section winner is called Geronimo after winning the section in the NFC Nort Sur Erdre Race recently. At the time of writing, we have 11/22 home and are hoping for a few more when the weather cools a touch. Thank you for all the calls and texts congratulating us on our team performance and our Dax performance. 5 th OPEN CSCFC PAUL AYLING OF GOSPORT. FIRSTLY, CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS ON WHAT TURNED OUT TO be a testing day with the high temperatures and north east winds. My yearling chequer hen has been raced north with the Solent Fed as far as Hexham, 289 miles, and south with the BICC and Classic. Her last race was from Messac. Her dam was from a pair of eggs given to me by Jimmy Wearn, the sire was from Starlight x Melissa, the sire of Ernie’s Blue Star, 1 st NFC Tarbes x a sister of The Proof. Coincidentally the nest mate bred my 1 st OPEN PERTH CLASSIC WINNER. THE SIRE OF THE CHEQUER HEN WAS BRED BY MARK GILBERT FROM THE LINES of De Cas, 1 st International Pau x Helio’s 1 st International Perpignan. I had another yearling hen the following morning, so 2 from 5. 5 th OPEN 1 st &amp; 2 nd SECTION B BBC &amp; 7 th OPEN 2 nd SW Section CSFC, Danny Lanahan &amp; John Gerard of Poole. Our first two pigeons from Bordeaux were both from the same hen which is a Talent Rookie x Flo hen being a half-sister to our CSCFC winner Dark Flo. The father of the first pigeon is a Southfields pigeon, Kanibaal Barcelona x daughter of Euro Diamond. She was sent sitting 10-day eggs. The father of our second pigeon was a Jelle Jellema pigeon, a grandson of Zwart Goud. Dave &amp; John Staddon with Major Miracle &amp; Gironimo Paul Ayling Danny Lanahan &amp; John Gerard 6 th OPEN 2 nd SECTION G BBC, MICK CHAPLIN OF WOKING. CAN I CONGRATULATE THE WINNER OF THIS EXTREMELY hard race. The yearling grizzle hen arrived at 5 am the next morning, so could not have been far from home the previous evening. She was flown on a semi-widowhood system and was having her fourth race of the season. Her first race was inland and then she went to Nort Sur Erdre with the BICC where she was 91 st OPEN, THEN TO MESSAC WITH THE BBC WHERE SHE WAS 96 th OPEN AND FINALLY TO BORDEAUX WITH the BBC/BICC where she is 6 th and 14 th OPEN. THE PARENTS WERE LATE-BREDS PURCHASED FROM ROB ROME and contained the blood of Bernie, winner of 5 x 1 st and 1 st Welsh National. Bernie is a grandson of Geronimo 183, a top producer for the Rome loft and direct from Patrick Houfflijn’s Geronimo. Geronimo was a 10 times winner of top National and International races and responsible for more than 10 x 1 st National and International winners. 8 th OPEN, 1 st 2 nd &amp; 3 rd SECTION D, BBC &amp; 9 th OPEN, 27 th South Centre Section BICC, Mark Gilbert of Windsor. The sire of the 1 st SECTION BBC IS A SON OF GOLDEN BARCELONA, THE 2014 BARCELONA GOLD WING WINNER WHEN PAIRED TO A DAUGHTER OF LLOYD, 1 st International Barcelona 15,707b. He has been a top producer for us at Southfield and is father to Southfield Hugo, 1 st National BICC Perpignan 2017, 1 st National BICC Barcelona 2018 and also Southfield Gold Lady, 1 st National BICC Barcelona, 1 st National BBC Barcelona 2020. He is also grandfather to Southfield Gold, 1 st National, 6 th International BICC Pau 12,631b 2023. The Dam is a daughter of Southfield Hugo, 1 st National BICC Barcelona 2018, 1 st National BICC Perpignan 2017 when paired to Willeke, 1 st International St Vincent 10,597b. Can we congratulate the winners of the BICC, BBC and CSCFC on putting in some great performances on a very hot weekend for all concerned! 10 th OPEN BBC, CHRIS &amp; JANE HOWSE OF DEVIZES. WE ARE PLEASED TO TIME OUR DARK PIED COCK ON WHAT proved to be a very tuff race! He was going to Bordeaux for the second time in two years, he was 24 th OPEN LAST YEAR. ALL BIRDS ARE RACED ON THE CHAOS SYSTEM, AND HE WAS ON HIS FIFTH CHANNEL RACE OF the season, previously all with the NFC. Congratulations to all the gallant birds that made it home. And a big congratulations to Chris and Jane who look as though they have won the BBC Bordeaux Loft Nomination first prize of £1000. Mick Chaplin Mark Gilbert’s bird Chris and Jane Howse dark cock bird 1 st South East Section, 13 th OPEN BICC, DAMIAN SZPAK OF DEPTFORD. MY SECTION WINNER IS MY THAMES BB bird from 2023. A very good pigeon, from sprint to long distance. The sire won 7 th OPEN ST Maxient and the dam won 16 th OPEN BICC GUERNSEY AND 17 th OPEN ST PHILBERT, PLUS OTHER TOP POSITIONS. THE SIRE IS SON OF THE FIGO HEN X ELECTRO UK, BOTH PIGEONS BRED ME WINNERS. THE DAM IS A daughter of Queen 85, a fantastic breeding hen from sprint to International races. Last year as a yearling he won 27 th OPEN BICC NORT ERDRE, 59 th OPEN FOUGERES AND 68 th OPEN GUERNSEY BICC. HE IS now adding 13 th OPEN BORDEAUX ON TOP OF HIS MANY POSITIONS AS MY FIRST CLUB BIRD FROM SPRINT RACES. 2 nd South East Section, 17 th OPEN BICC, 7 th OPEN, 1 st &amp; 3 rd SECTION J BBC, LES STOCK OF ROMFORD. MY bird was a six-year-old widowhood cock, that has been a very consistent pigeon. Previously taking 53 rd OPEN BICC FROM ST PHILBERT. IN LAST YEAR’S BORDEAUX RACE, HE WAS MY FOURTH ARRIVAL ON THE DAY. HE is bred down from stock I had from Geoff Kirkland, during the Pest era, when crossed with a De Weerdt hen of Andy Gregson &amp; Mark Gilbert. 3 rd South East Section, 47 th OPEN, F J CORNWELL OF SOUTHEND-ON-SEA. MY HEN IS A GRANDDAUGHTER OF Turban, my base cock, and also a granddaughter of Epic, my Certificate of Merit winner. He in turn is a grandson of Turban. Jim Biss lines through them all and still going strong. Congratulations to all who timed in the section and open. Damian Szpak Les Stock Fred Cornwell’s bird &amp; Epic 1 st North Centre Section, 38 th OPEN BICC, PHILIP BUTTS OF GRAVENHURST. THE SIRE OF THIS BIRD IS INBRED to Champion Seren Eleven and Channel Queen. The dam is the Stichelbaut family, who have been very consistent and never let me down. Congratulations to all who timed in the section and open. 2 nd North Centre Section, 59 th OPEN BICC, MR &amp; MRS J WRIGHT OF LUTTERWORTH. TIMING HIS GOOD BIRD at 16.50 on day 2, Jeremy said, I would like to congratulate Mr N Stevens of North Perrot on an amazing result on a very hard day. 3 rd North Centre Section, 71 st OPEN BICC, MIRCEA LIVIU DEHELEAN OF WELLINGBOROUGH. PLACING WELL UP in the section again, Mircea said, the chequer hen I timed is now named Miss Bordeaux. She was prepared for this race by sitting a 7-day young one. She is the full sister to our 1 st NC Nort-sur-Erdre WINNER. THE MOTHER IS FROM MAGIRESCU &amp; OJOG AND FATHER FROM DAN NITOIU AGAIN! A CROSS BETWEEN Marc Pollin and Jan Polder. Philip Butts Jeremy Wright Miss Bordeaux 1 st North East Section, 23 rd OPEN BICC, KELVIN SHARMAN OF SYLEHAM. BACK IN APRIL, THIS HEN HAD BEEN badly hawked, so this race was her first time across the Channel this year. She was given two short inland races then straight into the Bordeaux race. Her sire was from Poco of Jos Thorne. Her dam was a Cor De Heijde down from Don Michel. Well done to the winner and all who clocked in yet another very hard race. 2 nd North East Section, 108 th OPEN BICC, DAVE FISHER OF IPSWICH. WELL DONE TO THE WINNERS IN A tough race, particularly Kelvin Sharman who has flown exceptionally well in our section this year. I have a strong passion for long distance racing and really enjoy the Channel races using club racing as training. I help run the BICC marking station at Colchester and thanks go to everyone for supporting us this year which is appreciated. My bird was bred by my good friend Joe Raeburn in 2022 and raced on widowhood from a son of Litton Glory, 1 st NFC x granddaughter of Gwen, 1 st National San Sebastián, when paired to a daughter of his Barcelona cock x Lucky 13. All proven producers and a very good line for Joe. Channel racing has been tough in our area this year so was good to see one. 1 st NE Section CSCFC / Second loft in Section D, BBC, John and Sally Mauger of Aylesbury. Our NE SECTION WINNER IS A 2-YEAR-OLD DARK CHEQUER COCK FROM OUR RACING FAMILY, WITH BARRY WINTER bloodlines. He has successfully completed five overseas races this old bird season with the British Barcelona Club and Central Southern Classic Club. This performance, however, being his crowning glory. Kelvin Sharman Dave Fisher’s cock bird Sally and John Mauger 2 nd NE Section CSCFC, Alan &amp; Jill Webber of Abingdon. Our Bordeaux bird is a 3-year-old Busschaert hen, raced on the chaos system. This was her 5 th overseas race of the season, and our location gives us a choice of 4 different organisations that race over the Channel. So, she flew Vire, Fougeres twice, and Nort sur Erdre, prior to Bordeaux. She has been consistent without setting the World on fire, so a tough race probably suited her. We had a second bird on Sunday morning, so have 2 out of 3 sent to date. A big thank you to Clare, and all the marking station helpers who make these races possible. 2 nd SECTION J, BBC, MICKY SONTAG &amp; SON OF HARLOW. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS ON A VERY testing day. Thanks to the convoyer, as my timer was in excellent condition on return. This is this game little hen’s third time over the Channel this year. Having had most of the inland programme, she was given a 230-mile prep race two weeks before Bordeaux. She was sent over sitting and she is a Mark Bulled x Bruce McAllister distance pigeon. 1 st &amp; 2 nd SECTION H, BBC, PAUL MAUGER OF GUERNSEY. FIRSTLY, I WOULD ON BEHALF OF MYSELF AND THE Channel Island fanciers, like to thank Clare and Martin for looking after our birds and getting them to the marking station. My section winner was a blue hen that has flown well. This is her second section win, and she is bred down from Mark Gilbert’s Southfield Supreme lines. My second bird, taking 2 nd SECTION WAS A CHEQUER COCK OF WIM MULLER LINES, BRED DOWN FROM TREVER SHEAVILLS’ STOCK. Alan Webber Micky Sontag’s bird Paul Mauger 3 rd SECTION H, BBC, NIGEL LEGG OF GUERNSEY. THE PIGEON I TIMED WAS A 2-YEAR-OLD GRIZZLE COCK BIRD. THE parents are Herman Ceusters and were purchased from the RPRA One Loft Race. 1 st North West Section, 40 th OPEN BICC, RICHARD PUGH OF WORCESTERSHIRE. RICHARD TIMED A NATURAL flown 2-year-old cock bird of Van Bruaene bloodlines, to win the section. It was his first time over the Channel, and he was delighted when he eventually timed him. He noticed a bird in the garden and let it into the loft, not thinking that it was his Bordeaux pigeon. So, off he went to Morrisons to pick up a few things and bumped into Tony Drinkwater, the local club secretary. Tony told him that birds were arriving, and he should go back and check that bird. When he did, of course, it was his SECTION WINNER! HE EVENTUALLY TIMED HIM AT 13.11 ON DAY 2 TO WIN THE SECTION, SO ALL WAS GOOD. 2 nd , 3 rd &amp; 4 th North West Section, 60 th , 75 th , 77 th , 114 th OPEN BICC 1 st , 2 nd &amp; 3 rd SECTION E, BBC, Chambers Family of Cannock. All four of our arrivals from the Bordeaux National were yearlings, who given the nature of the race, arrived home in excellent condition. Our first three arrivals had also all been clocked two weeks prior on the day of liberation from Sigogne, 487miles with the NFC. This means, they have now completed 1030 miles in just 14 days. Our first arrival was a half-sister to our previous Tarbes section winner and RPRA Award winner, who we called Hot Stuff. She is a granddaughter of Dutch Thunder one of our main breeders and another 1 st SECTION WINNER FROM Tarbes / RPRA Award winner, her dam was purchased from Nick Andshead at his entire clearance sale. She flew Tarbes twice, 730 miles, and is also a half-sister to his Champion Milly. Our second arrival was a yearling hen of predominantly Van Ouwerkerk-Dekkers breeding. She was also a product of a joint breeding programme between us and the top lofts of Booth and Roper. Our third arrival is an inbred grandson of Mark Bullard&#039;s Champion Legacy. As well as being a grandson from our Lonesome Lad, who himself topped the section as a yearling from Poitiers, flying 445 miles. The only bird in the section on the day. All four of our arrivals were steeped in proven long distance performance blood lines which really shone through during such a difficult race. Nigel and Jane Legg with their friends Nobby and Sharon Craig &amp; Bernard Chambers Convoyers Report Tuesday 8 July: The birds from the 8 marking stations all came together at Sarisbury Green and were loaded onto the BBC transporter and trailer for our onward journey to Bordeaux. The birds were all fed and watered, and we loaded onto the ship at 11.30pm. Wednesday 9 July: Off the ship at 6.30am. Drove the 5mins to the Vet Inspection building. As usual two random crates of birds were taken off and 5 birds from each crate had their ring numbers checked against the paperwork that each marking station had supplied. Once again all was OK. During this time waiting for Custom’s clearance the water tanks on the transporter were refilled and water on the birds topped up. At 8.30am we were on our way to. We drove for 2 ½ hours and stopped for 45mins to top up water on the birds. We then drove for a further 2 ½ hours, filled up the transporter with fuel and also topped up the water on the birds. After an hour we got on our way and arrived at our overnight stay (an hour before Bordeaux) at 3.30pm. Some will ask why we did not continue to Bordeaux Lib Site, simply because France is an hour ahead of UK (i.e. now 4.30pm) and Bordeaux is a very large city and has serious traffic problems, so an hour&#039;s drive at that time of night would have taken around 3 hours. As soon as we parked up the water on the birds was changed for fresh water and the birds were fed. Back doors left open until 10pm Thursday 10 July: Up at 4.30am (because we were around 400 miles South of the UK it was still pitch black). We left the overnight parking at 5am and arrived at the Bordeaux site at 6am. The sun was up now. The first thing we did on arrival was fill up the water tanks and gave the birds fresh, clean water and the first feed of the day. Back doors left open all day and water topped up regularly. A second feed was given at 1pm and the birds were left to rest for the rest of the day. We must say the birds looked calm and relaxed, most sitting in their crates. It was actually 7 or 8 degrees cooler in the back of the transporter than it was outside. Pat and I actually sat in the back of the transporter most of the time. Pat spoke to Mark (Race Adviser) and agreed that it would be a hard RACE BECAUSE OF THE HEAT AND AGREED TO TALK AT 5AM TOMORROW. Friday 11 July: Pat and I were both up at 4am. Moved the transporter into position and prepared it for a Liberation. Pat spoke with Mark at 5am and Mark said all was clear to go and to lib at the earliest opportunity (coolest part of the day). At 5.15am the sun was rising nicely above trees in the distance. Pat and I both agreed to a 5.30am Liberation. At 5.30am the birds were liberated into blue skies, full sun and no wind. The birds broke into 3 batches, but 2 batches soon joined together and left in a North West direction and the 3 rd batch joined them about 20 secs later and within a minute all birds were out of sight. Steve and Pat And that concludes another tough but successful race between the BICC, BBC and CSCFC. The next joint races will be the young bird races in August and September. Mike Jackson BICC Press Officer Email:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Tel:07964448291</pre></pre>
Document content could not be extracted.