A Roman bridge still carries traffic across the Moselle at Trier, and that is not a figure of speech. The stone piers of the Romerbrucke, the old bridge in the centre of town, date to the second century AD, which makes it the oldest bridge north of the Alps, and cars, cyclists and pedestrians cross it every day on a road deck rebuilt many times over. Trier itself was founded as Augusta Treverorum in the reign of Augustus, grew into one of the great cities of the western empire, and served for a time as an imperial residence. The Emperor Constantine had a basilica built here, still standing with its great hall, and a monumental gate made of dark sandstone, the Porta Nigra, has dominated the northern entrance of the town for eighteen centuries.
These Roman monuments make up a World Heritage property with the nearby cathedral and the Church of Our Lady, and the Luxembourg day ride that uses the bridge as a stop is a straightforward one: you cross to the left bank, then follow the river valley to the border and on to the city of Luxembourg, about fifty kilometres to the west. Karl Marx was born in Trier in 1818, and his birthplace on the Brueckenstrasse is a small museum, a reminder that the town has produced more than emperors.
The Moselle valley is a rider's pleasure. South and north of Trier, the river meanders in tight loops between steep vineyards, with roads that follow the water and now and then climb to a ridge for a view back. The road is mostly smooth, with gentle bends, small villages with half-timbered houses, and signs for wine estates every few kilometres. In summer the terraces are green, in autumn they turn gold and red, and at harvest the new cloudy wine, federweisser, is sold from roadside stalls. Riesling is the grape of the valley, and the slate soil gives it a mineral edge.
Trier is a city of more than a hundred thousand people, so fuel stations, supermarkets and hotels are all easy to find. The town centre is largely pedestrianised, so park outside it and walk. Luxembourg is cheaper for fuel than Germany, a well-known habit among local drivers, so many riders cross the border with a nearly empty tank. Traffic on the autobahn and on the Luxembourg motorway is fast, so keep to the right and stay alert.