Pure pigeon sport magic. What happened on Saturday, May 31st, 2025, was nothing short of epic. In the early morning, at 06:40, the pigeons were released from Pontoise (Cormeil) under clear skies. Over 22,000 winged warriors set their course toward the Netherlands — but only one pigeon tore through the skies and crossed the finish line first…
That pigeon belonged to the unstoppable father-son team P. & T. van Kester from Poeldijk, who not only won 1st prize in Afdeling 5 against 17,159 birds, but also recorded the fastest time of the entire joint race with Afdeling 6 — a total of 22,489 pigeons!
🚀 Lightning Speed From the Westland Region
With a blistering velocity of 1,401.352 meters per minute (that’s over 84 km/h), their hen covered the 361.3 km from Pontoise to Poeldijk in record time. Clocking in at 10:57:49, she left all competition behind.
And she wasn’t alone — the Van Kester team also claimed 32nd, 33rd, 36th, 88th, and 177th positions, with 11 of 13 pigeons in the prizes, marking a staggering 85% prize rate. That’s not just a good race — that’s a masterclass in pigeon racing.
👨👦 A Legacy of Passion and Precision
Peter (64) and his son Ted (38) are the heart of the operation. Peter started racing pigeons in the late 1970s, and Ted joined the ranks in 1997. Since then, they've been flying as a team — built on trust, shared ambition, and endless dedication.
Peter recently retired after a career in construction, while Ted works as a sales consultant at Phalaenopsis nursery Optiflor. Their loft? It’s a well-oiled machine built on instinct, experience, and love for the birds.
🧬 World-Class Breeding Behind the Scenes
Their colony is based on top-tier bloodlines:
- Pieter Veenstra (via Siem Berkhey)
- Leo van Rijn
- Co Verbree
And for the one-day long distance races: Ton Zuiderwijk and Ronald van Zijl, rooted in the legendary Gebroeders Zuiderwijk lines from Honselersdijk.
Their feeding schedule is smart and simple: Matador's "Athletic" feeding system — “Start” at the beginning of the week, “Athletic” mid-week, and “Turbo” in the final days. Just a touch of peanuts, one weekly treatment of DHP yellow drops, and the occasional vet visit only when truly needed.
🏆 Not Their First Time at the Top
Van Kester has a track record of turning heads:
- 2017: Hen 15-1634681 wins Peronne against 42,486 pigeons
- 2019: Hen 18-1798170 does it again, winning against 15,909 pigeons
Their championships speak volumes:
🥇 Kring Westland 2023:
- 1st Vitesse Young Birds (Aangewezen)
- 1st Natour (Unassigned)
- 2nd General Champion (Assigned & Unassigned)
- 4 different Old Bird Ace pigeons in the Top 10
🥇 Kring Westland 2024:
- 1st One-Day Long Distance (Assigned)
- 2nd General Champion (Assigned & Unassigned)
- Multiple Top 10 rankings across all disciplines
🥇 Rayon West (South Holland) 2024:
- 4th One-Day Long Distance (Assigned & Unassigned)
- 7th Young Birds (Assigned)
- 10th Mid-Distance (Unassigned)
📊 Flight Summary – Pontoise (Cormeil), May 31st, 2025
- 🕕 Release time: 06:40
- 📍 Distance: 361.292 km
- 🚀 Winning Speed: 1,401.352 m/min
- 🕊️ Afdeling 5 Entries: 17,159 pigeons
- 🌍 Total Joint Race (Afdeling 5 + 6): 22,489 pigeons
- ✅ Van Kester Prize Ratio: 85% (11/13 in the prizes)
💡 Fun Fact
➡️ This wasn’t just a regional victory. The Van Kester hen was the fastest of the entire combined race across Afdeling 5 and 6 — beating 22,489 birds in total. A rare and heroic feat in the modern pigeon sport!
💬 Join the Conversation
Have you ever seen a result like this?
Do you know of another loft that won both their section and the overall joint release like this — with such a powerful prize ratio?
📧 Share it with us at jan@pigeonboss.com or leave a comment below. Maybe we’ll write your story next!
Until the next blog,
Jan de Wijs
The Pigeon Boss
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