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Spartacus Love Knows No Boundaries (or Barriers)

Trek-Segafredo finds its mysterious, affectionate stranger

By Chris Fontecchio
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Last Saturday Fabian Cancellara won his third edition of the Strade Bianche race, with a perfectly-timed move on the final climb into the Piazza del Campo in Siena. There was so much joy involved that a complete stranger was moved to run over and hug him:

This is great on so many levels. Let's break it down.

0:02 -- Cancellara is seen celebrating with his bike. I know he likes his bike, but it's a tad lonely. [Notably, the patrons of the "Valleverde" store behind him seem to have gone missing.] Even the soigneur seems a bit paralyzed by the moment. Not sure who he is, but it's safe to say he doesn't come from one of the Bromance Countries.

0:06 -- Enough of the bike. It's time to get me some love, says a jubilant Cancellara.

0:08 -- Sensing a love crisis, a mysterious stranger moves in between the reluctant soigneurs to access his hero. The soigneurs on the line had one job -- hug Cancellara -- and they blew it. But not all is lost.

0:15 -- For in comes a middle-aged fan, his face beaming with all of the joy you could hope for in a moment such as this, the celebration of victory, in all its fleeting, I'm-retiring-soon poignancy. Within a second or two, Cancellara is patting the balding pate of this black-clad stranger, and the soigneurs, realizing they can't match this man's appreciation of the moment, are gone.

0:19 -- By now the stranger is the only person truly supporting the exhausted champion, who hangs on to him to stay upright. It can be said that this stranger's love is Cancellara's foundation right now, literally and figuratively. It's a perfect day.

Trek-Segafredo, not knowing exactly what the hell just happened, went on a search, via Twitter, to find the mysterious stranger:

And so, according to Sporza, he has been found. It took a couple tries by the team, but after labeling him the "Fantastic Fan" he showed up. His name is David Pullano, he is 45 years old, and he is an unabashed fan of the Swiss Bear. He just let the moment carry him into the arms of his hero, and the rest, as they say, is history.

We have mused a bit about Trek's wonderful start to the season, but now it officially transcends the results sheet. That said, this is nothing compared to what will happen if Jasper Stuyven wins the Tour of Flanders. [He won't.] [Or... will he?]

Oh, and name me another sport where this happens? Yeah, I didn't think so.

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