Ivan and Thibault

As you’ve already mentioned, I am no stranger to the pigeon sport. I am best known as the owner of BRICON since its foundation in 1998. Since 2017, we have also come into the spotlight as fanciers by achieving our first top national ace pigeon rankings, with a 2nd and 5th National Ace Pigeon GHF Youngsters KBDB.
For the past four years, we have been competing under the name Team Baetens and have become an established force on the national races, with no fewer than six national victories over the past two years and eight top-five national ace pigeon rankings. Recently, we also achieved two 1st places at the Olympiad for pigeon racing.

I started in the pigeon sport at the age of 15, in 1998. In the early years, I mainly competed in the long middle-distance races. Today, my focus lies on long distance and extreme long distance races. I race exclusively on the nest, from the first to the last race. This system suits me best and is the ideal combination with family life, work and pigeons.
My most notable achievements in recent years include:

• 3rd National Champion Extreme Long Distance Yearlings 2023
• 6th National Champion Long Distance Old Birds 2023
• 4th National Ace Pigeon Extreme Long Distance Yearlings 2022
• 8 Provincial victories

The highlight came this year with the unique double and an outstanding series on the extreme long distance race from Agen (France), 863 km, winning 1st National Old Birds and 1st National (as well as 1st International) Yearlings. According to many, this has never been achieved before in the history of extreme long distance pigeon racing.

For me, the foundation always remains the same: discipline, observation and consistent care. Everything stands or falls with nutrition. That’s my holy grail. I exclusively feed the Black Label Plus range from Versele-Laga.
Pigeons can only perform when they remain physically balanced and their batteries are completely recharged. Feeding is largely a matter of feeling and is difficult to teach. I also strongly believe in peace in the loft, a strict but realistic rhythm and, above all, not doing more than necessary. Many fanciers want to intervene constantly, but often doing less is just as important. Keep it simple. Stick to your system and believe in yourself and your pigeons.

I would further advise everyone to use the best feed available on the market and to be cautious with excessive use of supplements. Supplements can create artificial form. An anecdote from my own experience: I used to give many supplements as well, and the pigeons always looked fantastic at basketing. Other fanciers asked me how I achieved that. The results were good, but never spectacular.
In 2019, due to circumstances, I completely changed my approach. To my surprise, the pigeons in the same loft suddenly ate 2 kg of feed without supplements instead of 1 kg with supplements. They now fully utilised the balanced mixtures that were specifically designed for this purpose. Three weeks later, I won three provincial victories within seven days and raced the season of my life.

First of all, be extremely punctual. Everything must be done on time, and you must observe closely whether everything is carried out as intended, including being critical of yourself. Secondly, ensure optimal health of the entire pigeon colony throughout the year. Every pigeon must be in perfect health, even those sitting in reserve in the aviary. Once you master this, you will improve year after year. With general health, I also mean that you reap what you sow. It starts with an optimal vaccination programme. In addition to the mandatory paramyxo vaccination, this also includes paratyphoid and rota, always administered twice a year to the racing pigeons.
Furthermore, provide good, complete and balanced nutrition throughout the year by using high-quality mixtures adapted to the seasons. For us, this is the Black Label Plus range from Versele-Laga.

That is a very valid question and, in my opinion, relevant to all disciplines if you want to perform with the same pigeons throughout a long and demanding season. It already starts at the beginning. The pigeons must first reach racing condition after the winter and breeding period. This is extremely important, because pigeons that are too heavy and cannot develop their own rhythm simply cannot keep up.
The first step is to bring them into racing condition using light feed with sufficient nutritional value. For me, this is the Gerry+ mixture, hand-fed. Once this base is achieved, the pigeons must grow into the season. Weather conditions and the difficulty of individual races play an important role here and should never be underestimated. This is how you build the foundation of your season.
Once they are optimally prepared, it is essential that the tank, as I refer to the internally stored energy in each pigeon, is always kept at the right level. The tank must never run empty. At the start of a race, you make sure it is sufficiently filled, and upon return it should not be completely empty. Recovery must start immediately upon arrival, which is only possible if the tank is not fully depleted. If it is empty, recovery takes extra time and it becomes almost impossible to basket again the following week.
To bring pigeons into top form, it is not necessarily bad for them to go into the red once in a while, but they must be properly prepared for that as well.

On races from 750 km onwards, you naturally ask the utmost from a pigeon. The energy consumed during the flight is enormous, which is why recovery must be very targeted. When a pigeon returns home, it immediately receives high-quality proteins via the Start Black Label Plus mixture to rebuild its reserves.
However, do not be misled. The effort a pigeon delivers must always be viewed in relation to its muscle mass. A sprinter delivers, relatively speaking, an effort just as heavy as a marathon runner. This means that even a pigeon flying only 120 km must recover properly. Many fanciers make the mistake of feeding lightly after return.
From the very first sprint race, my pigeons therefore receive proper recovery feed immediately upon arrival. As the distances increase, I provide multiple feeding moments to optimally support recovery.
You must help the body repair muscle breakdown, restore fluid balance and bring the immune system back to level. That cannot be achieved with grain alone. A pigeon that returns empty on Saturday cannot possibly be ready to fly 700 to 900 km again by Wednesday without additional support. The faster a pigeon recovers, the more consistently it will perform throughout the season.

Honestly, in the past I tested several recovery products, but with most of them I noticed little difference. Moreover, many of these products start to smell after a few hours in the drinker due to contact with oxygen, which causes pigeons to stop drinking. That is obviously detrimental to good recovery.
I am also put off by products that require enormous dosages, such as 40 g per litre. That is where I draw the line.
With Aminobolic Force from Oropharma, my experience was immediately different. First of all, it remained fresh in the drinker for a long time and the pigeons drank it readily. More importantly, I clearly saw an effect. Their metabolism received a real boost. They were visibly hungrier and continued to eat well, which is essential for fast muscle recovery.
The day after returning home, they were already full of life and trained very hard. That is always my first signal that a pigeon has digested a race well. In pigeons that have gone deep, you sometimes see poor droppings. With Aminobolic Force, I immediately saw firm, consistent droppings again, the little pellets we all like to see.
What convinced me most is that the product not only works after a hard race, but also in preparation for the next one. Just look at Ivan. It truly feels like a supplement developed with a top-sport mentality, similar to what is used with human athletes.

That is correct. Nutrition is essential and forms the foundation. However, to convert the energy absorbed through feed as quickly as possible into stored energy, the tank, something extra is needed. There are many products that claim to do this, but translating that into practice is another matter.
What I am about to describe is what happened to me in 2025. We were asked to test a new product. That is not unusual. Personally, I am not someone who quickly tries something new. I usually let others go first. The product was Aminobolic Force from Oropharma. The name sounded good, but for me, proof is what matters. I first let Thibault test it before using it myself.
As the season progressed and the peak weeks arrived, races followed each other rapidly and form was good. After the trilogy of Tulle, Limoges and Souillac for my middle-distance team, I felt the tank could use a boost. After the successful tests with Thibault, I decided that if I wanted to remain among the ace pigeons, I had to try it myself. I therefore gave Aminobolic Force in the drinking water on Tuesday and Wednesday. I always handle my pigeons on Tuesday to assess their condition. On Tuesday evening, after just one day of drinking, the pigeons had already completely changed. I could hardly believe it and even panicked a little, as they had become so round. The following day, however, they trained fantastically and I began to understand what was happening.
Bad weather was forecast for the weekend. Normally, the middle-distance pigeons would have gone to a short race, which I wisely did not do. Instead, I trained them myself from 47 km on Friday and Monday.
The extreme middle-distance team was basketed for Argenton and had to wait until the following Tuesday to return home. They came home very well cared for, compliments to the transporters. But basketing again on Thursday is extremely fast. Aminobolic Force had made such an impression on me the week before that I decided to give it to the Argenton team on Wednesday and decide on Thursday afternoon who could be basketed again that evening.
In the end, I was so surprised on Thursday that I decided to basket all 24 hens again. On Wednesday, the day before, I had also basketed six hens from the middle-distance team for Libourne. On Friday night, I did not sleep a wink, thinking what have I done, sending such a strong team again.
On Saturday, we got our answer. On Argenton, the old birds scored 10 out of 10 per ten and started with 1st, 3rd, 5th, 13th and 32nd National. Among the yearlings, 13 out of 14 were clocked, with 11 per ten, starting with 1st, 14th and 20th National. The way they returned, still full of energy, was phenomenal.
The real highlight was yet to come. On Libourne, RIVA was basketed, a candidate national ace pigeon. A top result would place her in pole position. During the KBDB control of the Argenton winners, RIVA also arrived, winning 1st National Libourne and securing 1st National Ace Pigeon and 1st Olympiad Category I.
The yearlings followed shortly after, both placing in the national top 100. On Libourne, we scored 5 out of 6. At that point, you have to admit that Aminobolic Force played a role in this success. The condition was top, but the tank was rather depleted after the previous races. Yet the energy level was restored in an exceptionally short time, with explosive results.

In my trial, it clearly proved most effective towards basketing, when you want to load the tank. Tuesday and Wednesday therefore seem to be very suitable days.

That differs from one fancier to another, and both approaches are valid. In my case, I race long distance or extreme long distance every three to four weeks, so my pigeons have more time to build up towards the next race. For me, recovery after the distance flown is the key factor.
That said, after Ivan’s stunt of three national victories on the same day, I also clearly see the value for build-up. Ask me this question again next year.

Because the need was high, I used the highest dosage, 20 ml per litre. In 2026, when the product will be available for the full season, I will probably start with one day at a lower dosage and build it up according to the pigeons’ needs and the race calendar.

It depends on the distance, but also on the heat of the day. My goal is that the pigeons drink as much as possible and with appetite. I mainly used it as recommended: 15 ml per litre for long middle-distance races and 20 ml per litre after long distance or extreme long distance races.

What appeals to me most is that Aminobolic Force is not just a recovery product, but a well-thought-out combination of different active ingredients. On the one hand, it contains fast-absorbing amino acids for immediate muscle repair after return. On the other hand, it provides longer-chain proteins that continue to support the build-up of new muscle tissue in the days that follow.
I also had the impression that the pigeons suffered less from lactic acid build-up and stiffness, which is crucial after heavy exertion. Behaviourally, they were also back in balance more quickly after return. You can tell that they access their deeper reserves more efficiently without exceeding their limits. Especially on longer and heavier races, this is a major advantage.

We can only speak based on what we observe and what the pigeons show in their results. What stood out was that you could really feel the tank was full. The muscle suppleness was very clear, combined with a pronounced muscle mass.

I assume so, as I maintained my normal schedule and simply added it.

There are so many products on the market that everyone has to decide this for themselves. It is often a matter of trial and error. Using the product on its own, as I did, certainly works very well and is something I can recommend.

Align your approach with your ambition and leave nothing to chance. If you want to win, you must be prepared to do everything required to achieve it. Work hard for it, nothing comes easy.
Look at the breeders, not just the racers, and race both cocks and hens. A strong strain is built up slowly. Invest in a good loft. Eighty percent of health comes from good ventilation. But above all, learn to read your pigeons. They clearly show when they are ready, when they receive too much or too little and when adjustments are needed. Be patient, because success requires several years of consistent work.

Having good pigeons is the most important thing. Never forget that. However, they’re also top athletes and therefore require top condition and proper guidance to deliver peak performances. Feed is essential, but the conversion of that feed into pure energy in the body can be supported and accelerated with supplements. Do not overdo it, however. Excess is never good, and too many supplements result in artificially bloated pigeons that are saturated, which will negatively affect performance.