Each year, the 4th Foreign Regiment (4e RE) organizes an exceptional long-distance cycling event that brings together passionate riders and supporters from across various Foreign Legion regiments. United by solidarity, they ride with a single goal: to support the Legion’s wounded and retired veterans.
Now in its thirteenth edition, the event — known as “Foreign Legion Solidarity” (Solidaire Légion étrangère) — was held from June 25 to 27, 2024, in the departments of Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales in southern France. Organized just days before the start of the legendary Tour de France, the charity ride serves to raise funds for the Foreign Legion Institution for Disabled Veterans (IILE), the official retirement home of the Legion, located in Puyloubier.
Colonel Montull, commanding officer of the 4e RE, emphasized the purpose of the event: to honor and assist those who once served France with honor and loyalty.
La Solidaire is more than a sporting challenge — it is a symbolic expression of enduring support and commitment to the Legion’s core principle: “The Legion never abandons its own.” This year’s edition successfully raised €25,000 (approximately US $27,200) for the IILE.
The participants are primarily senior non-commissioned officers from various Legion regiments. Along their route, they stopped and stayed overnight at several notable locations — including the Legion mountain chalet in Formiguères (visible at 1:13 in the video), a site fondly remembered by many legionnaires from their basic training days as a place of rest and reflection.
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e History of the 4th Foreign Infantry Regiment