With a lead of more than a wheel, Wilfried and Marie-Christine Vandemaele from Heule secured the title of Belgian KBDB General Champion 2025. It is the most comprehensive championship in Belgium and rewards the racer who, across all distances and disciplines, manages to place their first nominated pigeon as early as possible in the results. A feat, as it is a challenge that begins with the first race of the season and, in many cases, maintains suspense until the final race. Congratulations are in order!
The true love for the pigeon
It was just a crazy idea that flashed through my head as I was heading to Heule-Kortrijk to visit the 2025 Belgian KBDB General Champion, Wilfried Vandemaele: would he, like in cycling, also wear a national jersey out of pride? You can always get away with a joke like that with Wilfried.
When I arrived, after sincere congratulations, it was the first question I asked Wilfried, and the answer was, “No, we won’t, but I’m still happy with what’s happened in recent years, that we’ve achieved this.” Being honored at the national championship celebrations in this classification does something to a person.
There you go, that one phrase already partially describes Wilfried. We will come back to it later.
Another image I had of Wilfried was that (when public auctions were still trendy…and off record…this trend is returning, as many things in history repeat themselves) he had handled every pigeon before the official sale began. A renowned fancier once remarked to me at a public auction, “If you want to know where the best pigeons are, you have to ask Wilfried.” And Wilfried agrees that he likes to see pigeons and enjoys handling them. He enjoys judging and inspecting them. And when, after a cup of coffee, I had the chance to handle the top pigeons, it only confirmed the statement I had heard. Beautiful pigeons in the hand, top quality…but above all…and this is where the finesse really shines, even top-notch pigeons. Can you judge incredibly good racing pigeons based on this?
Wilfried then invokes the age-old logic: I have only ever had a few incredibly good ones in my hands that had any flaws. So, we can confidently tick off the “beauty of Wilfried’s pigeons” item. The class radiates from them, both in the breeding pigeons and the racing pigeons. It is also something he’s built up over the years.
Wilfried (also known colloquially as Fritz by many) is a very experienced fancier at 73. Originally from Oostrozebeke, he has lived in their family home with a spacious garden in Heule since 2000. This is also the gathering place for the family, who are always welcome to visit Wilfried and Marie-Christine, including their children and grandchildren.
The title of the successful comeback
Why this genuine pride in the national title? Because you are the best in Belgium, of course—no need to comment on that—but in the case of Wilfried and Christine, this title also represents a successful comeback. In the past, they won 1st National Bourges and 1st National Narbonne, but this title is truly special.
Three years ago, both Christine and Wilfried became seriously ill. Suddenly, pigeons became secondary. Neither was truly capable of, nor allowed to, care for the pigeons. This puts a damper on their beloved hobby, but even more so on their ability to enjoy retirement, family, and hobbies together. Wilfried emphasizes Christine’s invaluable role in pigeon care throughout this account. She is always ready and willing to help, and no effort is too much for her. When suddenly both are at risk of failing, or at least receive the prognosis that recovery will take a long time and that it would be better to say goodbye to pigeon racing…
The darkest clouds were drifting towards Heule, and between treatments, the decision was made to sell most of the pigeons. In a more than successful sale, it was a sad farewell to something that had been built up for years. The fact that the sales went very well was a welcome (but small) consolation in all this.
After the sale, twelve late youngsters from 2021 were kept, along with the youngsters from 2022. Luck, the result of years of hard work? It turned out that this 2022 generation was a very strong bunch, capable of the best and most beautiful things, and that they were the foundation of the titles and results achieved in recent seasons.
Luck comes in small packages, but you must have it. Christine recovered very well from her surgeries, Wilfried listened carefully to the doctors’ advice, and all this resulted in better health and more strength. With renewed courage and an unwavering love for pigeons, the loft was rebuilt, with strong results as a bonus. Talk about a happy and successful comeback!
The hand of the master
Everything we heard and saw reveals a finesse and a feeling for pigeon racing. The pigeons that were retained are the stock breeders that form the foundation of all this. Names like Joël Verschoot’s Contador, Chris Debacker, Gino Clicque, Chris Hebberecht, Luc & Hilde Sioen, the Harchies family, and certainly his own old breed (based on proven pigeons) form the cocktail of success.
But Wilfried is not sitting still, not before and not now. He is constantly on the lookout for reinforcements, joint breedings, etc. His drive is clearly still there. We were given a joint breeding with pigeons from Luc & Hilde Sioen, and the competition be warned: the best has yet to come!
Wilfried is also an observer. We all should be, but being available for this can certainly help him “read” the pigeon and see when it is in top form or not. You could still call this old-school pigeon racing, but it has nothing to do with style, but with knowledge and experience. Current trends in pigeon racing also prove that a different approach is possible: basketing, racing, and selection, and that means you, as a pilot, must be resilient. Here in Heule, it is more a combination of current trends, grafted onto a wealth of experience and knowledge from the past.
How is a colony that is General Champion governed?
There are currently about thirty breeding pairs (about half of which are in breeding boxes). The pairs are re-paired annually and paired on December 1st. The racing pigeons are also paired on December 1st and are allowed to raise one youngster under normal mating and pairing behavior.
The racing pigeons consist of forty-four cocks and forty-four hens, of which approximately 50% are yearlings. Pairing the yearlings and raising a youngster may be less straightforward than with the older pigeons, but a nesting position is sufficient. Unlike the breeders, the racing pigeons do not receive supplemental lighting.
After breeding, the racing pigeons are separated and darkened until May 1st. They are paired again at the end of March and the beginning of April and are allowed to spend 6 to 8 days together for training. From then on, the team is on the move… and they are basketed weekly (otherwise, they cannot score points for the general championship). The hens train at 6:30 a.m. and train very intensively before the season. The cocks train once or twice a day, depending on the season and/or the races.
All racing lofts have spacious aviaries, and the pigeons spend as much time as possible in these aviaries. The racing hens spend the entire week in these aviaries, day, and night, and are only allowed back in the loft once a week, during basketing on Thursday, when they see their cock. It is worth noting that twice as many hens are raced as there are cocks available, so chaos reigns, and arguments and jealousy are guaranteed. This demands a lot from the pigeons (including stress), making it a strategy that yields best results in the middle distance and extreme middle distance. Upon returning from a race, they are allowed to spend a couple of hours together in the loft. They spend all their other time in the aviary (eating, training, sleeping, etc.). Considering the results achieved with the hens in the middle distance and extreme middle distance, this approach is sure to yield strong results.
Wilfried has a strong opinion about feeding: “good food,” or, loosely translated, you must feed them well. The pigeons are primarily fed three mixtures (Vanrobaeys) (including the supplemental pellets), and the diet is heavy, rather than light. In addition, the pigeons are also given regular and sufficient treatment. They also need to be fed enough, even in terms of feed volume, and some food can always be left in the feeding trough.
Supplements are provided, such as egg food (which they always have available), and Willem DB’s morning mix for the hens. The hens are fed Ladymix as their normal feed, with heavier mixtures for the last 2 to 3 days. Fortevita and Prange Suppe are frequently available as natural supplements.
The young pigeon squad consists of approximately one hundred young pigeons for our own use. The first and second rounds are kept together, train together, and race together whenever possible. They are darkened until June 21st for the upcoming races and are not given any additional light towards the end of the season. The third and some of the fourth rounds are housed separately.
After two races from Clermont, the sexes are separated, and the classic sliding door system is used.
Wilfried relies on the medical advice of Dr. Wim Boddaert, and Wim is consulted regularly. The young pigeons receive the mandatory paramyxovirus vaccines, supplemented once with rotavirus and once with poxvirus. The old and yearling racing team was checked before the season and only given a three-day treatment against ornithosis before the first national race from Limoges. Afterward, there’s monitoring and evaluation…but given the results last season, this was not necessary much.
It is also striking that Wilfried’s lofts only get full sun in the late afternoon. Wilfried says they get the sun until sunset, but this is not conducive to good form. On the other hand, the aviaries in front of the lofts do compensate for this. The climate in the spacious aviaries is pleasant and maintains the temperature for a while longer. In any case, this has not harmed the results.
A glimpse of what he has to offer…
It was so “now is the time” to ask: “Wilfried, how do you want a pigeon to feel and look when you hold it in your hand?” And then came the answer, a collection of what we actually knew, but formulated by a master judge with results: “I attach great importance to balance, equilibrium, it has to be right, good, long muscles… a strong back, a short forearm, and especially a wing with open feathers on the outside.” Voilà, the theory as we know it, until we hold a few pigeons in our hands and sense that a good combination of all this produces incredibly beautiful pigeons. Gems in the hand, soft plumage, very sturdy carcass, good wing… ten out of ten.
But even more important and decisive… superb results… otherwise, you certainly have a chance of winning a beauty contest… but here they also fly like a top bird from Arras to Perpignan… with the national race from Cahors as the crowning moment!
It was a flight with a top speed of 1,100 meters per minute, so a workday covering more than 700 km. Wilfried had basketed twelve pigeons, and it turned out to be a truly top-notch race with:
- Provincial (1,049 p): 8-13-15-17-40-108-191-288-309 (9/12)
- National (5,226 p): 10-21-26-31-84-266-573-999-1,089 (9/12)
Wilfried’s eyes still sparkle when he talks about these arrivals!
But the entire season was filled with such performances, both in the middle distance, the one-day long distance, and the extremely long distance… because you only become a champion when you have top pigeons in every area.
Some top ones
It would be easiest to list all the pigeons that scored a point for the title below (credit where credit is due), but we will stick with a few top birds that Wilfried himself acquired as his top pigeons. They are all champions in their respective disciplines and are raced by Wilfried and Christine.
- Prinses Ode – BE22-3028119
Four first prizes, including three first provincial prizes in the extreme middle distance. A beautiful hen in the hand, developed with a superb GPS system and a powerful stain. Chateaudun, Chateauroux, Chateauroux, Bourges… she always outpaced the entire peloton. Top-tier.
Her sire is a direct Luc & Hilde Sioen pigeon and a descendant of Brother Jessie (a national star in the entire family) x Sister Cameron, and a top racer herself. This pigeon carries a lot of Willem De Bruijn blood. The dam is Schoon Geschelpt, which herself performed well in Fontenay and is a cross between Gino Clicque’s pigeons (Golden Prince, Kerkduifje) and his own old breed from the Raket line.
- De Heer – BE22-3028131
This beautiful diver flew three top forty-seven national races in the Cahors, Souillac, and Limoges races. A top-notch pigeon.
His sire is a straight Jan Hooijmans pigeon from the New Harry x Harry line, thus the crème de la crème of this loft.
The dam is Odeke, who herself performed well nationally in Limoges and descends from Noël Lippens’s pigeons x half-brother Figo x Gino Clicque x Joël Verschoot, bred by Wilfried.
- Perfect Youngster – BE22-3028136
With a 26th nat. Cahors, 81st nat. Tulle, and 4th prov. Chateauroux, this is another strong member of the team. He comes from a pair of winning pigeons—Matti, Broer Matti, and Kleine Prins—who have achieved top results for him, and he has now replicated them.
His sire is Braven, often the top breeding son of the wonder pigeon Contador of Joël Verschoot (Contador paired to pigeons from Lidou, Wilfried, etc.).
His dam is a direct hen from Chris Hebberecht, bred from pigeons of Gerard Koopman x Gevaert-Lannoo & Benny Steveninck.
- Blauwe Schaduw – BE23-3076709
With a 10th national Cahors and several other top prizes, another top bird from the 2022 generation of champions.
His sire is a son of Dark Shadow (sixth national Brive) from their own line, Gino Clicque, and Anthony Maes. His dam is Klein Geschelpt (Cadet, Clicque, Sioen, etc.).
- Jonge Libourne – BE24-3041200
Flew first provincial and 10th national from Libourne as a yearling. His sire is identical to Son Dark Shadow, compatible with Princes Vera (Chris Debacker x Raket from their own line, Limoges). A more than legitimate promise for the future!
And to complete the list, here is a summary of the top results and rankings achieved in the 2025 season:
- 1st National Overall Champion KBDB
- 7th Overall Champion Inter-West Flanders
- 4th Champion Yearlings Inter-West Flanders
- 14th Champion Long Distance Inter-West Flanders
- 5th Provincial Champion Long Distance Yearlings
- 6th Provincial Champion Long Distance Old Birds
- 1st Provincial Toury 1993 Old Birds and Yearlings
- 1st Provincial Libourne 649 Yearlings
- 10th National Libourne 3883 Yearlings
- 5th Provincial Bourges 3988 youngsters
- 13th National Ace Pigeon Long Distance Olds KBDB
- 15th National Champion Yearlings 1 + 2 KBDB
- 1st Champion Long Distance Olds in De Arend
- 2nd Champion Long Distance Yearlings in De Arend
- 2nd Champion Extreme Long-Distance Olds and Yearlings in De Arend
- 3rd Overall Champion in De Arend
- 7th Champion Extreme Long-Distance Yearlings in De Arend
- 4th Champion International Quintet (combination of five clubs)
- Winner of the Leie Fondtrofee (Rekkem-Ruiselede-Wingene)
- 1st and 2nd Ace Pigeon Long Distance Olds (Rekkem-Ruiselede-Wingene)
- 7th Overall Champion Belgian Entente
Meanwhile, all the celebrations are over, and we are already fully preparing for the new season. The national champion’s ribbon already fits Wilfried like a glove. It is worn with pride. Christine is already quietly busy paving the way for the new season with Wilfried. They are both enjoying their good recovery, their championship title, and being able to experience this wonderful event together. We hope this continues for a while!
Loft
Winners
