The 2015 race from Barcelona took place in exceptionally demanding conditions. It would take quite a special racing bird to take the international first prize in the scorching heat, with temperatures of up to 39°C. That is why this year’s winner will be an invaluable addition to the already impressive breeding team of Batenburg-Van De Merwe and the PIPA Elite Center. As it turned out, only one pigeon was able to arrive back home on the day of the release, which indicates that this pigeon had steered his own course, probably flying on his own for hundreds of kilometres. This racing bird is a “Special One” indeed. In their efforts to keep the finest extreme long distance bloodlines in the hands of Western European fanciers, Hugo Batenburg and the PEC have convinced the owner of Special One to sell them his prize winner, even tough there were quite a few candidates. This is a special transfer, since this is the winner of quite a memorable race from Barcelona.
The purchase of “The Special One” by Hugo Batenburg and Nikolaas Gyselbrecht is arguably one of the most significant transfers in the history of pigeon racing. This cock will be get a spot close to the international winner of Barcelona of two years ago (New Laureaat), which they managed to obtain as well.
From left to right: International Barcelona winner 2015 (Special One) – 2014 (Kleine Jade) – 2013 (New Laureaat)
Add to that the joint breedings with the top pigeons of Jelle Jellema: the 1st international Barcelona 2014 ‘Kleine Jade’, 3rd international Barcelona 2014 ‘Sylvie’, 1st Olympiad Pigeon Marathon 2015 ‘Olympic Roméee’ and the 1st international Perpignan 2014 ‘Black Magic’ (of Ali Obaed), en the 1st national Barcelona 2014 ‘New Remy’ (of Green Xiang).
We can all agree that Hugo Batenburg and the PEC are the owners of an exceptionally valuable collection of modern day extreme long distance pigeons.
From left to right: 1st international Barcelona 2015 (The Special One), 1st national Barcelona 2014 (New Remy), 1st international Barcelona 2014 (Kleine Jade), 1st international Barcelona 2013 (New Laureaat), 1st international Perpignan 2014 (Black Magic), 1st Olympic Pigeon Marathon 2015 (Olympic Romee), 3rd international Barcelona 2014 (Sylvie)
Hugo and Nikolaas are genuinely passionate about the race from Barcelona, our sport’s number one classic. It is a way of life. Nikolaas’s passion was fuelled by the Gyselbrecht family winning the international first prize from Barcelona in 1995 with their renowned ‘Laureaat Barcelona’. It would be a lasting memory for Nikolaas. He found in Hugo not only one of the best Dutch marathon fanciers ever but also a soulmate, a true pigeon enthusiast with whom he shares his passion for the legendary race from Barcelona. By sharing their ideals and their financial power they managed to create a Dream Team of Barcelona champions. “Special One” will be a remarkable addition to the existing collection. He is a true prize winner and he managed to make the impossible happen, being the only pigeon to be clocked on the day of the release, with a velocity of 1150 m/min. It enabled him to take an international first prize against 19,083 pigeons with a considerable lead. The pedigree of ‘The Special One’ (Yvan Denoefbourg) includes the following winners:
1st Inernational Marseille 2001
1st National Perpignan 2004
1st National Beziers
1st National Ace Pigeon long distance
The Cuffel family (who basketed their Special One) with Thomas Gyselbrecht
Father and son Cuffel had a most memorable day thanks to the outstanding performance of Special One. This pigeon has likely travelled the largest part of his 917km trip entirely on his on, which shows he has exceptional strength and exceptional orientation skills. Nikolaas and Hugo are convinced that this great looking cock will continue to deliver in the coming years.
The Special One is now paired to Daughter New Laureaat x Kleine Jade, two international Barcelona winners
The new owners are convinced that the descendants of Special One will have a great impact on pigeon racing at international level. After all, good quality bloodlines never disappoint, especially since this special pigeon will be surrounded by an exceptional collection of racing birds.
We conclude with a comment from Jelle Jellema, perhaps one of the best extreme long distance fancier in recent years, who got a chance to take a closer look at Special One: “Hugo, congratulations on your purchase. After seeing the pigeon with my own eyes, I can only say I am quite impressed. This is a really strong racing bird! Special One has everything to become a super class breeding bird, and I would be most happy to breed pigeons from him, Olympic Romee and Kleine Jade.”