Nijmegen sits on the first real hills that the Rhine delta meets, and on the Hunerberg, now a leafy suburb with a park, the Romans built a fortress. From about the year 70, after the Batavian revolt had been crushed, the Tenth Legion, Legio X Gemina, was stationed here, some five thousand men in a stone-walled camp. It was a serious piece of engineering, a mini-city of barracks, workshops, a hospital and a commander's house, and the legionaries were here for about thirty years. The civilian town that grew beside it later became the first in the Netherlands to receive Roman town rights.
The area labelled Hunnerpark on the ride and the neighbouring Valkhof are where the story keeps going. Valkhof means falcon court, and a palace stood there under Charlemagne in the eighth century. Frederick Barbarossa rebuilt it in the twelfth century, and today you can see a small round chapel from that era, the Saint Nicholas chapel, among the trees of the Valkhof park, which looks out over the Waal river. The rest was demolished in the seventeenth century. It is a lovely park to rest in with views of bridge and barges.
Riding here is typical of a Dutch city of a hundred and sixty thousand: bike lanes on every road, trams of cyclists, roundabouts, narrow brick streets, and speed limits that are rigidly kept. The centre is partly pedestrian and parking is hard, so use a garage and walk. Fuel and repairs are no problem, and the city has a large student population that makes cafes lively and affordable.
Nijmegen was badly bombed by mistake by American planes in February 1944, and fought over again in September, but it has been rebuilt with a pleasing mix of old and new. The tall Waal bridge is the symbol of the city, with a modern second crossing nearby.
Try a plate of local apple pie, a coffee on the Grote Markt and a glass of beer from one of the town's craft brewers. April to October is ideal for riding, while the summer Four Days Marches in July fill the streets with walkers. Ask at the tourist office for the Roman route, which links the key sites on foot.