In less than three years no fewer than 14 direct pigeons from Piet Roelofs or youngsters had obtained NOS Teletext

 Ab Ducaat, Haaften

A classy tribe that can compete with anyone

Together with his good friend Willy Robben (1954 – 2019) from Malden, winner of one of the toughest Pau flights in history (1990), Piet Roelofs built, “a homogeneous, classy stock that can compete with everyone.”.

The two comrades had a remarkable passion, as Roelofs himself wrote: “the breeding of a modern, tough, very strong, always healthy, but also well-built long-distance pigeon.”

To achieve this result they brought the best varieties to their breeding and racing lofts in Druten and Malden. When Willy Robben retired from the pigeon sport, thirty of his best and most precious breeders moved to Piet Roelofs, including the well known first National Pau ‘90.

De Dure van Jan Aarden – 1e nationaal Pau 

De Dure (NL 82 – 371199 M), a beautiful Jan Aarden pigeon of the old type, came early on from the only breeding pair of Piet van der Slik from Middelharnis (Blauwe Kweker Slik, NL 74 – 17778587 M x Kraswitpen breeding hen, NL 74 – 1178593 V) to the breeding loft in Druten.

He was paired by Piet Roelofs with the Late Lazeroms (NL 84 – 1053789 V), 100% Piet Lazeroms, from Jan Peters in Bemmel. This top breeding couple produced the aforementioned De Pau (NL 86 – 0455310 M), who was clocked first in 1990 on what was probably the toughest race from Pau in the history of pigeon racing.

This phenomenon (1st national, 4th international) then stayed in the breeding loft in Druten for almost six years. Because of this grandiose victory, Willy Robben and Piet Roelofs were asked by various nationally and internationally renowned toppers to breed together and that has happened.

Pigeons from the Limburgers Jan Voestermans from Roermond and Jan Theelen from Buggenum, among others, came to Druten. Brothers, sisters, nephews, and nieces of the 1st international hens / 2nd national Pau van Wiel Beckers and Fientje Willems from Sittard crossed excellently with De Pau and De Dure, as it turned out.

The 40-Kweker van Jan Theelen 

Another hit was made with the purchase of De 40-Kweker (NL 84 – 159440 M). This Theelen cock was acquired directly by Jef Linssen from Boxmeer from master breeder Jan Theelen. When Linssen died, his entire colony was sold in 1995. Sons, daughters, grandsons and granddaughters of De 40-Kweker sold for remarkably high amounts, but the stock father himself let the buyers go to Roelofs and Robben for a much lower amount. “Very soon after the 3rd exit, most prospective buyers realized what capital blunder they had made!”, Said Piet Roelofs a few years ago. And he was right: De 40-Kweker, De Dure and De Pau produced a loft full of great pigeons in Druten, with which various fanciers achieved excellent results.

In addition, various other direct pigeons from Jan Theelen populated the breeding loft of Piet Roelofs, often close to the Vale Marathon, the Fameuze 08, the Rode Diamantje, the Liesbeth, the Famous 10. But Roelofs and Robben also expanded their stock in the eighties and nineties with the Theelen line via B. Jansen & Co in Bavel and said Jef Linssen in Boxmeer, who also bought their pigeons of the truly legendary, authentic type in that period directly from Jan Theelen

Barcelona champion Noël Peiren

In the following years, reinforcement was constantly sought. The breeding loft of Piet Roelofs also contained the following species: some top pigeons from Piet & Henk de Weerd, Breda; athletes from Wiel Beckers and Fientje Willems from Sittard; some descendants of the Witbuik (NL 81 – 1533120 M) of the old kind of Bas and Hugo Batenburg from Klaaswaal in South Holland; and various top breeding pigeons from Jan Kuijpers & zn. from Oeffelt in Brabant.

The best of the best came then from 2006 directly from one of the most prominent Barcelona players in Belgium, Noël Peiren from Zedelgem, among others from the world-famous Didi line, grandchildren of the Apollo, the Diplomaat and his brother the Electriek, the Artist, Prince Barcelona, ​​the Montauban, Annick, de Witteneus, de Marseille and the Gem. In addition, Piet Roelofs obtained descendants from, among others, Brede Gray (NL 92 – 1575702 M) from Hein Brassé from Vaesrade Nuth in the south of Limburg; and several “beauties” by Theo and Bernard Burgers from Weurt near Nijmegen.

In retrospect, we can say that from the mid-eighties, Piet Roelofs, together with Willy Robben, built up his own tribe with vision and policy. He looked ahead, put as much good against good as possible, drew new lines within his stock in a targeted manner and, in addition, every now and then did careful close family breeding to maintain and continue certain very important bloodlines.

Success with several toppers – 14 times NOS Teletext

Unassuming as he was, Piet Roelofs never wasted much on it, but a considerable number of fanciers in Druten obtained fantastic pigeons for nothing or little, where they subsequently achieved excellent results.
He rarely sold. From his point of view that the pigeon sport should be passed on to future generations, he preferred to help young and novice fanciers with advice, action and pigeons.

Several pigeon fanciers, including the renowned Combinatie Verwaaijen from Deest, who are among the best marathon players in the Netherlands on NPO flights, he guided with a consistent and proven breeding system in building a strong marathon stock, with children and grandchildren of his 54 pigeon, including all their Kaasbekjes, which became toppers in the breeding loft as well as in the races.


In less than three years no fewer than 14 direct pigeons from Piet Roelofs or youngsters had obtained NOS Teletext

It was none other than Ab Ducaat from Haaften, the man of the Witte Molen and Klaus company, who discovered that in less than three years no fewer than 14 direct pigeons from Piet Roelofs or youngsters had obtained NOS Teletext, among others from Nico Koetsier Culemborg. Toon Geurts in Haps got a grandson of the 40-Kweker who became a topper and the successful Marseille from B. Jansen & Co from Bavel comes from a daughter of the same 40-Kweker.

Furthermore, Edwin Hendriks and Bernard van der Horst, among others, went to Groesbeek; Frans van de Donk, Deest; Hilbrand Smit, Winschoten and many other fine pigeons from Piet Roelofs, a modest master breeder and committed fancier with a big heart for the pigeon sport.