French cyclist survives three days after 130-foot ravine fall by drinking red wine he had in his bag

A French cyclist who plunged down a 130-foot ravine survived for three days living off a few bottles of red wine that somehow didn’t break in the fall, police have said.

The 77-year-old man was found alive in the mountainous Cevennes region after he missed a turn on his bike when heading back from the supermarket. 

He fell down a slope and into the ravine near Saint-Julien-des-Points in southern France.

According to French news outlet Entrevue, he cried out for help every time he heard a noise from the road but failed to attract attention. 

In cold and damp conditions he relied on a shopping bag of food and a few bottles of wine to survive.

Rescuers were eventually alerted to the man’s predicament by road workers who spotted the frame of his bicycle.

Firefighters from the Hérault Fire and Rescue Service eventually found him and took him to hospital.

Laurent Savath, a rescue doctor, said the man’s survival was ‘a miracle… given the cold and the rain, with almost nothing to eat or drink,’ per Entrevue.

The cyclist escaped with nothing more than minor injuries and mild hypothermia.

The doctor added: ‘He is really tough. He fell into a stream several times trying to scramble back up, so was at risk of hypothermia.’

It is not the first time people have survived while exposed to the elements this year. 

Over the summer, a backpacker was rescued in the Australian outback after surviving nearly two weeks having abandoned her vehicle.

Carolina Wilga, 26, was spotted along a remote bush track in Western Australia by a driver in July, 12 days after abandoning her vehicle.

The German national was airlifted to hospital, and later explained that she lost control of her van and rolled down a slope, hitting her head in the process.

‘I left my car in a state of confusion and got lost,’ she said at the time.

And in January, a young boy survived five days alone on a reserve full of lions in northern Zimbabwe by digging wells and eating fruit.

Tinotenda Pundu, said to be either seven or eight at the time, had wandered away from his village and got lost.

He was found around 30 miles (50km) away five days later, in Matusadona National Park, weak and dehydrated but alive.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.