The Evening Ride

A short ride it may have been, but neverthless notable as our first ever evening Rangers Ride. Why didn't we think of it before?
Most of the eight strong party met for 7pm at our usual venue, Exeter Bridge, near the Derby Market Place, and the junction of NCN Routes 6 and 54, two more Rangers joining us en route.
The route led us northwards out of the City Centre on traffic free cycle paths, crossing the infamous Pentagon Roundabout on the toucan crossings and onto the cycle path between Sir Frank Whittle Way and the Racecourse, which led us to the Paddock PH where the new Route 672 Greenway begins. Although not yet finished, the new Greenway has a good rolled surface and is consistently 3m wide.
Those who had not seen the route since the famous Trailblazing Ride of January 2006 would hardly recognise the area. Gone are the foot-sucking bogs, the horrendous gradients and the impenetrable foliage. We now have the beginnings of a beautiful country path which will give pleasure to countless generations yet to come.
We turned round at the NE end of the development and coasted back downhill to the Paddock, a drop of about 100ft. and there sat outside to quaff our pints whilst admiring the view northwards over Derby, and catching up on the latest jokes and wittisisms, of which there were several, but none worthy of repetition here.
As darkness fell we turned on our lights for the journey home through the city centre, noticing the drunken youths and the scantily clad young ladies spilling out of the city pubs and clubs.
"It was never like this in our day" said we, predictably.
Peter Ford's photo shows the rest of the team checking out our first seat on the Greenway, now set rather low in the ground due to the local idiots jumping on it.
Left to right - Back Row: John Swan, Ian Dent, Les Sims.
Front Row : Yvonne Faulkner, Martin Aldred, Mavis Ratcliffe, Phil Harris.
The upper photo, taken by Alan Locke in January 2006, on the same spot, shows Rangers about to set out on the Trailblazing Ride. As Alan said at the time "Little did we know of what lay ahead".
How true!