- Sacre bleu, what tough old French guy.
France is famous for many things, including its culture and art, renowned cuisine, and — of course — wine. That last item on the list recently helped an unfortunate older cyclist survive a tremendous ordeal.
And he did so in the most French way possible.
Bicycling home from grocery store, a Frenchman in his seventies had a mishap and plummeted down into a deep ravine. Unable to climb out on his own, he tried calling for help but no one could hear him.
All he could do was wait for someone to happen to come by. At least he was coming from the store so he had something to eat in the meanwhile.
The menu wasn’t exactly extensive, though. In his shopping bags, the man had a few snacks, alongside a couple of wine bottles.
Fortunately, the wine sustained his French spirit for three days until road workers finally heard his pleas for help. They fished the septuagenarian out of the ravine and took him to a hospital.
Miraculously, the man had survived with a few scrapes and mild hypothermia. He’s now back home, safe and sound.
Elderly French man, we raise a wine glass to you.
Distracted Rider
The French-est of all accidents took place on October 26 in the mountainous Cevennes region on south-central France. Our hero, an unnamed 77-year-old was riding his bicycle, returning from grocery shopping to his home in the commune of Saint-Julien-des-Pointes.
In his bags he had some snacks and a couple of bottles of wine. We also can’t help picturing him with a beret on his head, riding along as Happy Days in Paris plays in the background, but we digress.
His attention, however, seems to have been somewhere else than on the road. As he rode down the road, he suddenly missed a turn that probably should have a guardrail.
But a rail there was not. The man careened off the rode and bounced down a steep slope, crashing 130 feet down through the underbrush into the Gardon River.
Trapped
Luck was on the man’s side, in the sense that he didn’t get seriously hurt in the fall. He had a couple of bumps and a raw scrape here and there, and he was wet from his plunge, but overall, he was fine.
That’s where the good news ended. The old man now found himself on the bottom of the river ravine, and he couldn’t get out.
The ravine walls were simply too steep and slippery for him to climb. That wasn’t for the lack of trying either, as a few failed attempts sent the man tumbling back into the river.
Deciding he had bathed enough, he realized his only option was to yell for help. So, he yelled, and yelled, and yelled.
Unfortunately, no one seemed to hear him. The man would call out each time he heard a vehicle passing above him, but no one came to help.
Wine for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
Soon, it came night, and the man got thirsty and hungry. He wasn’t ready to drink from the river just yet, so he checked his grocery bags.
Luck was on his side again, and his purchases were mostly intact. He now had some wine and a handful of snacks to chew on while he waited for help.
And wait he did. Hours turned to days, and no one seemed to hear the man.
Meanwhile, he sustained himself by eating the little bit of food he’d brought with him and sipping small mouthfuls of wine when he got thirsty.
‘He’s a Miracle’
Finally, after three days in the ravine, the man’s calls were finally answered. Men performing roadwork on the mountain road heard someone yelling from the ravine.
Peeking into the gorge, they first saw the mangled, shapeless bicycle. Then, they spotted the old man himself, who was by now noticeable exhausted but in good spirits.
The road workers alerted the local fire department who pulled the man out of the ravine with a helicopter. They then sped him to a hospital, where doctors were amazed by the man’s perseverance.
He had some minor injuries and was suffering from mild hypothermia, having gotten his clothes wet. Otherwise, he was no worse for wear.
“He’s a miracle. In the cold and damp, with almost no food or water, he’s incredibly resilient,” Dr. Laurent Savath, chief medical officer of the Hérault fire department, told Entrevue.
This 70-something gentleman is one tough customer.
If you’d like to read another odd-defying survival story, check out this article about the Australian woman who survived in the bush for five days on lollipops and wine.