Algarve Great Derby 2025. Training 6

Hello everyone, Ringo reporting from the loft.

Today we had Training 6… and let me tell you, this one was by far the hardest training so far.

A strange day with tricky weather conditions – not bad enough to cancel, but definitely enough to make life complicated for us youngbirds.

Here’s what happened:

The night in the truck was hot, so we didn’t sleep that well.

At release, it was 21 °C with 51% humidity and a light wind from the northeast.

At home, one hour later, it was already 30 °C with only 28% humidity, and a much stronger north wind blowing over 30 km/h.

And up higher in the sky? The wind was even stronger, pushing us off course.

Most of us got carried south of the loft, way past home, before realizing,

“Oops… we’ve gone too far!” and turning back. That’s why almost every pigeon arrived from the wrong direction.

The drivers at release also noticed something unusual:

we were slow to orientate and leave, and some birds of prey made the start even trickier.

Still, let’s not forget the positives – it was a big learning day for all of us.

No sun storms, no fog, no thermal inversions, no wildfire smoke down here… just a real mix of heat, dry air, and strong wind that tested every feather we have.

Now the trainers will give us time to recover and regroup. We’ll wait for the last pigeons to make it back, and get ready for the next challenge.

This is one of those days that makes us stronger.

– Ringo