Competitive Bikers Stop Mid-Race After Hearing Mysterious Cries From the Woods

Nicolás Pradilla was nearing the end of a three-day bicycle expedition around Colombia with his trainer, Héctor Ramírez, when the pair suddenly decided to change their route. Opting for more rugged trails, the duo veered off the map to begin a 25-mile climb uphill when they suddenly heard a noise that stopped them in their tracks.

“Halfway up this climb, Héctor heard some noises that sounded like birds,” Pradilla told The Dodo. “When we looked down, two abandoned puppies were there.”

Pradilla and his trainer were shocked to see two little puppies covered in dirt, hiding under the thick brush. While they weren’t planning on picking up any passengers on their trip, they didn’t skip a beat when it came to saving the stray babies.

“We decided to take them with us immediately, even though we still had quite a climb and more than 6 hours of travel ahead of us,” Pradilla said. “Héctor took [one] first and immediately put [him] under his shirt, and then he passed me [the other].”

You can see more footage from the rescue here:

@pataspeludasccLes presentamos a Tinto ☕️ y Remy 🐭❤️‍🔥 Este tercer día de expedición decidimos cambiar la ruta y subir directamente hacia Chiquinquirá; empezamos sintiéndonos mal porque no habíamos cumplido al pie de la letra el reto que nos habíamos puesto… Pero esto pasó a un segundo plano rápidamente En mitad de la NADA oímos a estos perritos y los encontramos solos, mojados, temblando y con mucho miedo. Logramos montarlos en la panza durante más de 60kms y 1400mts de subida (sí, tengo un poco de dolor de espalda) De por sí la aventura ya estaba siendo épica, pero esto es más grande de lo que podemos explicar. Todavía no sabemos si nosotros los encontramos o ellos nos encontraron a nosotros, pero que fortuna Empezamos la aventura siendo 4 patas y llegamos con 12 patas 🐾 No llegamos como habíamos planeado a Pandora, pero al fin y al cabo: llegamos… y en combo! Les iremos contando!!! ❤️‍🔥🫶#perros#adoptar#ciclismo♬ Married Life (From “Up”) – Gina Luciani

With the puppies nestled comfortably under each biker’s shirt, the men set off to complete their trip. They’d discussed finding permanent homes for the pups initially, but when they eventually reached their destination, the bikers couldn’t bring themselves to part with their tiny companions.

“The initial idea was to help them and find them a home,” Pradilla said. “After having them there for more than 6 hours, we decided to keep them ourselves.”

Héctor claimed the puppy in his shirt, whom he named Remi, and Pradilla kept his puppy, later named Tinto after Colombia’s famous coffee.

The puppies settled into their new homes right away and quickly inspired positive changes in their dads’ lives. Pradilla, for example, was living with his parents when he found Tinto. But with multiple dogs already in the home, he decided to move out on his own, where he and Tinto could live independently.

“The whole process of looking for a home has been quite wonderful for me, too,” Pradilla said. “Not only did he find a home, but I did, too.”

It’s been a couple of months since Remi and Tinto were rescued, and the sweet pups are happier than ever. Though Tinto’s been on the mend from his deworming treatment and hasn’t been able to go on many adventures, he’s finally starting to feel better and is looking forward to biking with his dad again soon.

“We’re already planning a ride and to re-live those moments,” Pradilla said.