Italian cyclist Nicol Bonifazio has won many accolades in his career, but the most priceless honor of all was probably a recent deed of compassion.
Last month Nicol was out on a 20 km training ride with a group of friends when he thought he heard something crying from the side of the road? He was unsure of where the noises were coming from as there was no house nearby?
The sounds appeared to be coming from nearby woods so Nicol ventured into the trees and found a tiny kitten dumped next to a waste bag and left to die. He had thankfully found the tiny life just in time.
As reported by Nicol to The Dodo, “I heard meowing in the distance.” “It was an unsettling sound. I then ventured into the forest to look.”
“The kitten wasn’t doing very well,” he said. Time was of the essence.
Nicols’s training ride had now transformed into a training ride where time was of the essence. He clutched the helpless kitten in one hand as he road back quickly falling in love as he did so.
That was the moment the kitten’s life changed forever. Nicol had saved him from the verge of death — but he didn’t stop there. “We immediately brought him to the vet and he is now very well,” Nicol said. “I decided to take him home with me.”
Since then, surrounded by the love of Nicol and his partner, the little kitten has blossomed. “He’s very nice and full of energy,” Nicol said. “His name is Bisous; in French that means ‘kiss.’”
There’s little doubt about the tragic end that awaited the kitten had Nicol not heard his cries that day — but because of his actions, the road stretching out ahead now for Bisous couldn’t be brighter. And, fittingly, it’s one they’ll be sharing together.