A 77-year-old cyclist is recovering after plummeting130 feet down a ravine in a mountainous area of France and surviving for three days on red wine he had just bought a supermarket, according to multiple media reports.
The harrowing ordeal happened as the 77-year-old, returning to his home after making a run to the grocery store, missed a bend on a mountainous road in the Cevennes region and flew down a steep, rocky slope in the ravine near Saint-Julien-des-Points, CBS News reported.
Miraculously, his grocery bag with a small amount of food and several bottles of wine survived the treacherous fall to the Gardon riverbed.
Unable to make the climb out of the ravine, the man attempted to yell at passing motorists more than 100 feet above him, though none of the passing motorists heard his cries.
It wasn’t until Oct. 28, according to the French media outlet Entrevue, that workers in the area heard 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.
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