LA VOIE DE LA LIBERTE

The 36th edition of the bicycle ride of the liberty Road will be full of emotions, marked by the 80th anniversary of the Normandy Landings.
Marked with sacrifices and heroism, the liberty road was the road to Victory and Liberation.

It reminds us of the ardent solidarity of free nations and the imperishable gratitude of the French people towards these young soldiers who sacrificed their lives.
They restored freedom to French people, scarred by the landing of the 6th of June 1944 in Normandy, and to our Belgian friends scarred by the Battle of the Ardennes in December 1944 and January 1945.
To all these young people, we are deeply grateful. Residents of Périers express particularly a real recognition. Our thoughts are with our 127 civilian victims and their families.

SAINTE-MERE EGLISE is historically linked to BASTOGNE, in Belgium, the liberty road commemorates the march of the 3rd (third) American army. The stone markers, called borne of the liberty road, follow the way drawn by the General PATTON from Sainte-Mère-Eglise to Metz. These bornes remind us of the symbol of the Statue of Liberty.

I would particularly like to thank the team of volunteers available and dedicated, whom makes possible to maintain the tradition of this annual pilgrimage.
The event allows to transmit a message of peace and friendship between all our peoples, while linking sport to history.

With the participation of numerous hikers from several nations, Americans, Canadians, Irish, English, Luxembourgish, and of course, Belgian and French people, also with the moving participation of the children of PERIERS’s Schools, our hike has become an essential institution recorded on the calendar of our commemorative events.

Thanks to the permanent support of communities, cities, municipalities, Departmental Council of Manche, The Normandy Region, storekeepers and craftspeople, thanks also to the support of residents, elected officials, we can continue to mark this page of history.
Our “guardian angels”/”Protectors” deserve also our warmest thanks. Thus, I quote the National Gendarmerie, EDSR bikers (the departmental squadron of road safety), bicycle riders, the Police, our ambulance drivers, doctors, repairers and all the volunteers who ensure everyone’s safety.

In advance, thank you to all the Cities and Municipalities: Jacques COQUELIN, Mayor of VALOGNES, Emmanuelle LEJEUNE Mayor of SAINT-LO and Alain LECLERE Mayor of LA HAYE, and all of their municipal councils who will welcome us on May 31, 1 and June 2, 2024.
This hike created bonds of friendship between PERIERS and BASTOGNE, which naturally led to the signature of a Twinning charter.

Its presidents, Philippe COLLARD in BASTOGNE and Anne PILLON in PERIERS, join us on this hike.
We would also like to thank Benoit LUTGEN, Mayor of Bastogne, and Gabriel DAUBE, Mayor of Périers, for their valuable support in organizing our expedition.

I wish this hike of 2024 will be synonymous with peace, fraternity and friendship between all our peoples.

Damien Pillon
President of this association of the friends of liberty road.