A 77-year-old man from southern France has survived three days trapped in a ravine after a 40-metre fall, sustained only by the contents of his shopping bag, including bottles of wine.
It began as an ordinary shopping trip. The unnamed cyclist had pedalled from his home in Saint-Julien-des-Points, Lozère, to nearby La Grand-Combe in the Gard department, a route he must have ridden countless times. But on his return, as per French media outlet Entrevue, he missed a bend on the RN106, the winding road that traces the border between the two regions.
His bicycle plunged down a steep 40-metre slope, landing in the Gardon riverbed. Trapped in the ravine, the 77-year-old called out for help whenever he heard the sound of a passing vehicle. For three days, no one answered.
He endured the cold, damp nights of the Cévennes mountains armed only with his shopping bag, a small but life-saving arsenal of food and a few bottles of wine that somehow survived the fall intact.
Found by chance
On the third day, salvation arrived by chance. According to reports, a group of road workers from the Interdepartmental Directorate of Roads heard faint cries from below. Investigating, they spotted a twisted bicycle and the frail silhouette of a man waving from the ravine.
Emergency services were alerted immediately. Firefighters from the Hérault Fire and Rescue Service (SDIS 34), supported by a Civil Security helicopter, winched him from the riverbed and flew him to Alès Hospital for treatment.
Dr Laurent Savath, chief medical officer of the Hérault fire department, told road.cc: “He’s a miracle. In the cold and damp, with almost no food or water, he’s incredibly resilient.”
Despite several slips back into the stream while attempting to climb out, the cyclist suffered only minor injuries and mild hypothermia, a survival story that astonished even the rescue team.
A pensioner rescued by the provisions of his own picnic, and a much-needed shot in the arm against growing alcohol abstinence.
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