The most demanding race on the European long-distance calendar has just delivered its verdict. Nicu Bărbulescu, a breeder of Romanian origin with a loft on the outskirts of Zwevezele (West Flanders, Belgium), was crowned international champion of the 2026 Barcelona Race in the Old Pigeons category. His pigeon, BE-23-3066267 , covered the 1,057.51 km at an average speed of 1,082.44 m/min , registering its arrival on Saturday, July 4th at 06:09 CEST . The margin was resounding: 58 minutes ahead of the second-place finisher , from France.
An edition of 16,278 old
The Barcelona International 2026 brought together 16,278 pigeons in the Older category from lofts in Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, and France. The release took place on Friday, July 3rd, from Barcelona. The actual distances to the release point vary greatly depending on the loft's location: the southernmost Belgian lofts are less than 950 km away, while breeders in the north of the United Kingdom or Ireland travel over 1,300 km. This asymmetry is inherent to the nature of the race.
The birds had to cross the Pyrenees, traverse the French Massif Central, and, in the case of participants from the British Isles, also the English Channel. BE-23-3066267 completed the 1,057.51 km in a night flight and arrived at Bărbulescu's loft at dawn on Saturday. No other loft confirmed its pigeon during the following hour.
The breeder: quality before quantity
For fans of Belgian heavyweight long-distance racing, the name Nicu Bărbulescu was no surprise in 2026. Born in Romania, he built his loft in the quiet surroundings of Zwevezele with a very specific philosophy: "I don't believe in quantity. Every pigeon here has a reason for being here."
His racing calendar revolves around major international long-distance and marathon races: Agen, Narbonne, Perpignan, Dax, Saint-Vincent, and Barcelona. In 2024, he had already shown promise with his hen Liliane (BE-22-3062938), who won 1st Provincial Agen and 2nd National Agen against thousands of other pigeons. In 2025, she added 4th National Narbonne and several victories in Barcelona and Perpignan at both club and sector levels. Three of his pigeons made it into the top 12 of the KBDB 2025 national Olympic marathon ranking.
The winner's bloodlines
BE-23-3066267 combines some of the most established bloodlines in European long-distance racing. The pedigree includes some of the most renowned names:
Noël Peiren : a historical reference for heavy fond in Flanders, with the Stichelbaut strain at its roots.
Frans Labeeuw with Stichelbaut blood: pigeons that have marked generations in Barcelona and the long distances.
Emiel Denys : Belgian breeder whose lines appear in the maternal side of the winner.
Barcelona King line from the Herbots Brothers : a strain built specifically to withstand the demanding Catalan route.
This isn't a pedigree tree geared towards short-distance sprints. It's a lineage designed to endure 1,000 km and perform at its peak when most birds have already stopped.
Working method: observe, do not impose
In a recent interview with the Belgian pigeon racing magazine PITTS, Bărbulescu described how he works with his pigeons: he uses nesting (nesting) for hens paired with young roosters, and applies classic widowhood for older roosters. His general philosophy: "You have to learn to observe; each pigeon tells you what it needs if you are willing to listen."
It is the model of the long-distance breeder who seeks not volume but precision: few pigeons, a lot of knowledge of each one, and a system designed for the longest races on the calendar.
What does this result mean for the rest of the dovecote?
For the thousands of breeders who competed in Barcelona 2026 without winning the top international prize, the most valuable data point isn't the final score but the information the race itself generates. A pigeon that returns well-placed from over 1,000 km reveals a great deal: about its navigational skills, its physical stamina, and its bloodlines. Documenting this pedigree-linked history is what allows for informed, long-term breeding decisions.
If you manage your loft with that approach, FirePedigree allows you to record results, build complete pedigrees, and track which bloodlines perform well over long distances, all in one place.
