Over the past season, I was asked an important question by a fancier:
“Why do we no longer go to 600km liberations in the summer race series?”
The answer is twofold.
Firstly, temperatures today are significantly higher than they were 20 years ago.
But more importantly, the real issue is time—and this is something we, as lofts, have unintentionally brought upon ourselves.
Each year we take pigeons in later, which shortens the season by at least six weeks.
To explain this clearly, let’s compare two seasons.
Season Comparison: Then vs Now
2025 Race Program
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18 Jan – 170km
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24 Jan – 230km
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30 Jan – 332km
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08 Feb – 488km (Final)
Season Structure
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Training begins: 10 December
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Road training: 8 weeks
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Weekly training: 4 × 40km = 160km/week
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Total training: 1,280km
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No long training flights between races
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Race kilometres: 730km
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Total before final: ±2,010km
2008 Race Program
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22 Nov – 160km
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29 Nov – 210km
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13 Dec – 260km
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27 Dec – 300km
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10 Jan – 360km
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24 Jan – 550km+ (Final)
Season Structure
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Training begins: 15 October
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Road training: at least 15 weeks
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Weekly training: 4 × 40km = 160km/week
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Additional long trainings: at least 4 × 120km
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Total training: 2,880km
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Race kilometres: 1,290km
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Total before final: ±4,170km
Why This Matters
When the summer race series originally began:
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Intake ran from 15 May to 1 September
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Pigeons were settled by September
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Loft flying started mid-September
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Road training began early October
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First hot spot occurred mid to late November
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Long training flights (±140km) were flown every second week when it was not a hot-spot weekend
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Weekly training included at least one 80km midweek flight (often 2 × 80km trainers)
This resulted in far more kilometres under the pigeons’ wings, allowing them to reach peak form and return better—even from 600km finals.
What Changed?
In recent years, quarantine regulations were extended by an additional 35 days. Imported pigeons were only released after 60+ days instead of 30, forcing us to:
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Start settling pigeons much later
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Begin road training only mid-November
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Push races into late December
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Finish finals in late January or early February
As I write this, the team of pigeons entered for the 2026 Summer Race completed their final training flight today. Tomorrow they rest before the final race on Friday from 460km.
With temperatures expected in the low 30°C range, we already know the reality—once midday temperatures exceed 28°C, many pigeons stop racing and wait for conditions to ease before continuing home, often only arriving days later.
I am confident this current team has flown more kilometres than any team over the past five years, and the additional 300km race certainly helped. Still, I believe they needed another 1,000km of training and an extra week’s recovery after the tough 350km trainer to truly prepare some of them—but there will be a good number ready for the task at hand on Friday.
The Change for 2026
Because of this, the rules have been changed.
The most important change is the intake period, which for 2026/2027 will be:
Intake Period: 16 March – 1 September 2026
Training Schedule
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Road training begins: Mid-October
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First published long training: Early November – 150km
This structure allows:
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More long training flights
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More races
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Better form development
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Reduced losses
I am confident this adjustment will make a significant difference. Of course, hindsight remains the most exact science—but sometimes change is necessary, and only time will tell.
Final Thoughts
Best of luck to every fancier with pigeons in this weekend’s final race.
Spare a thought for your warriors—they will work hard on Friday to reach home. They have already proven themselves by making it this far and earning their place in the basket.
Regards,
The Allflight Team
Summer Gold Cup Series 2026