Miraculous Survival: 77-Year-Old Cyclist Rescued After 130-Foot Ravine Plunge, Sustained by Red Wine

Share and Follow

A 77-year-old cyclist is on the mend after a dramatic 130-foot fall into a ravine in France, where he remarkably survived for three days with the help of red wine he had just purchased, various media have reported.

The chilling incident unfolded when the elderly man was on his way home from a shopping trip. He misjudged a turn on a winding road in the Cevennes region, which sent him tumbling down a rugged, steep incline near Saint-Julien-des-Points, as noted by CBS News.

Amazingly, his bag of groceries, which contained some food and several bottles of wine, also made it down to the Gardon riverbed intact, providing him with sustenance during his ordeal.

Stranded and unable to scale the ravine’s walls, the man tried to attract the attention of drivers passing over 100 feet above, but his pleas went unheard.

Gardon riverbed, Brignon, France. (Associated Press)

It wasn’t until Oct. 28, according to the French media outlet Entrevue, that workers in the area heard the 77-year-old’s yells for help, spotted his mangled bicycle frame and eventually laid eyes on the “visibly exhausted but conscious” septuagenarian.

Firefighters help pull the cyclist from the ravine. He was then flown by helicopter to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Dr. Laurent Savath, chief medical officer of the Hérault Fire Department told the French outlet that the man’s survival was a miracle.

“In the cold and damp, with almost no food or water, he’s incredibly resilient,” he said.

Even after falling into the stream multiple times while trying to climb out of the ravine, the 77-year-old made it through the frightening accident with minor injuries and a mild case of hypothermia.