A 77-year-old French cyclist has been rescued after spending three days trapped in a ravine, surviving on red wine and a bag of shopping. The man fell 130 feet down a slope near Saint-Julien-des-Points in the Cevennes region after missing a turn on his bike while returning from the supermarket.
According to French news outlet Entrevue, he cried out for help whenever he heard noise from the road, but no one heard him. In cold and damp conditions, he relied on a few bottles of wine that miraculously survived the fall, along with some food from his shopping bag.
Rescuers were alerted by road workers who spotted the frame of his bicycle. Firefighters from the Hérault Fire and Rescue Service found him and took him to hospital. Rescue doctor Laurent Savath described the survival as 'a miracle given the cold and the rain, with almost nothing to eat or drink.'
The cyclist escaped with minor injuries and mild hypothermia. Dr Savath added: 'He is really tough. He fell into a stream several times trying to scramble back up, so was at risk of hypothermia.'
