THE VOIE DE LA LIBERTÉ
If the 36th edition of the Voie de la Liberté Cycling Tour in June 2024 was marked by the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, the 38th edition will also be filled with emotion during our passage through the stage towns of SAINT-LÔ, MONT-SAINT-MICHEL and SAINTE-MÈRE-ÉGLISE.
That is why I would like to already extend our sincere thanks to Mrs Emmanuelle LEJEUNE, Jacques BONO and Alain HOLLEY, mayors of these three towns, as well as to all their municipal councils, for the warm welcome they will offer us on June 5th, 6th and 7th, 2026.
The Voie de la Liberté was the road of Victory and Liberation.
It reminds us of the intense solidarity of free nations and the everlasting gratitude of the French people towards those young soldiers who sacrificed their lives to restore our freedom — for us French citizens marked by the Normandy landings of June 6th, 1944, and for our Belgian friends marked by the Battle of the Ardennes in December 1944 and January 1945.
It commemorates the advance of the U.S. Third Army.
The markers placed every kilometer along General PATTON’s route from Sainte-Mère-Église to Bastogne recall the symbol inspired by the Statue of Liberty.
To all these young men, we owe a deep THANK YOU and a profound GRATITUDE, with a special thought from the people of Périers for our 127 civilian victims and their families.
A team of dedicated volunteers, whom I warmly thank, makes it possible to preserve the tradition of this annual pilgrimage, intended to convey a message of peace and friendship among all peoples.
2014 edition
With the participation of many cyclists from several nations — Canadians, Irish, British, Americans — who will ride on the roads once traveled by their ancestors, as well as Luxembourgers, Belgians and French participants, our tour has become an unmissable institution on the calendar of commemorative events.
It is thanks to the ongoing support of our municipalities and towns, the Manche Departmental Council, shopkeepers and craftsmen, the loyal support of residents, elected officials, and the PÉRIERS–BASTOGNE twinning committees that we can continue to mark this page of history.
The National Gendarmerie, EDSR motorcyclists, cycle patrols, police forces, paramedics, doctors, breakdown services and all volunteers ensuring safety also deserve our warmest thanks.
Finally, we would like to thank Benoît LUTGEN, Mayor of Bastogne, and Gabriel DAUBE, Mayor of Périers, for their valuable support in organizing our journeys.
May this cycling tour across the world be a symbol of lasting peace, brotherhood and friendship among all our peoples!
Damien PILLON
President of the Friends of the Voie de la Liberté
