Watching the Worlds go by – Rouleur’s Harrogate pub guide

Watching the Worlds go by – Rouleur’s Harrogate pub guide

“When we at Deserter – black belts in sitting down and enjoying a nice pint – were asked to preview the Worlds, a strategy became obvious: find the best pub in Harrogate to watch the cream of world cycling whizz past”


There’s nothing like being there to experience the big events. But standing by the roadside watching your favourite cyclists fly past can be a fleeting pleasure. It’s all over in a few milliseconds, just like your wedding night. And there you are, dressed as the Prince of Darkness, with nowhere to go, but down.

 

The Worlds though are different. Better, even.


We’re very fortunate to have them in Yorkshire this year. The men’s road race kicks off in Leeds, rides through Otley and Ilkley, up to the Dales and back round to Harrogate, the beautiful old spa town in what was the West Riding. The women’s starts in Bradford and ends in Harrogate. All the time-trials end in Harrogate. Hold on, a theme is emerging here…

 

When we at Deserter – black belts in sitting down and enjoying a nice pint – were asked to preview the Worlds, a strategy became obvious: find the best pub in Harrogate to watch the cream of world cycling whizz past. After all, you lot know the jockeys better than we do.

 

But in order to enact our strategy, we’d have to visit as many of Harrogate’s boozeries as possible to decide which was optimal. It’s a dirty job, etc

“A dirty job, etc.”

 

We explored Harrogate’s micropub, the Little Ale House. What’s a micropub? Well, they’re usually shops converted to no-frills, one-room, one-conversation bars that specialise in cask ale. Since their invention in an old butcher’s shop in Herne, Kent, in 2005, the micropub philosophy has propagated across the entire country, turning back the clock to a time when strangers had talked to each other. That time never ended in Yorkshire, so clearly the micropub has other charms. Oh yes, the beer. I went with the barman’s recommendation, Two By Two’s Session IPA from Wallsend in the north-east and it was a beaut. A strong contender for Pint of the Day .

Drinkers watched us with suspicion as we were followed into the garden by Lee, taking shots of us from unusual angles.

 

‘Are you in a band or something?’ asked a Scouse lady, sitting with her feller.

 

‘Have you heard of The Beatles?’ I replied.

 

The Beatles?

 

Her husband was from Glasgow, as tumultuous a union with Liverpool as I could imagine. A lovely couple, they take every opportunity for a bargain getaway from their home in York. One of them mentioned visiting London’s Oxford Street.

 

‘I don’t really go to Oxford Street,’ I admitted, in common with many Londoners.

 

‘I can see that,’ said the Glaswegian, eyeing my second hand schmutter. Meeting plain-speaking folk can have its disadvantages.

 

The Little Ale House – “Be nice or leave”

 

This was the third bar in a row I would have been happy to stay in all day. You can watch the world go by at the front, sit in the cozy bar, or enjoy the back garden, all in good company, with friendly staff and top-notch ale. Why did you make us leave, Ian. Why?

 

Rouleur’s comprehensive guide to Harrogate’s many splendid bars is in issue 19.6, out now

 

The post Watching the Worlds go by – Rouleur’s Harrogate pub guide appeared first on The world's finest cycling magazine.


READ MORE

Tour de France 2025 stage 11

The ties that bind: a day of temporary and fast-changing alliances

Stage 11 was defined by the temporary alliances formed over the course of the stage, and the fight between two groups of five riders, working...

Leggi di più
Tadej Pogacar

‘It’s fair play’ - Cycling and the complexity of the gentleman’s agreement

After his crash in the closing five kilometres of stage 11, Tadej Pogačar’s rivals waited for him to return to the peloton in the name...

Leggi di più
Ben Healy

‘A crazy, crazy day’ - Professional cycling no longer has any rules

Stage 11 of the 2025 Tour de France was one of the wildest ever with non-stop attacks – this is bike racing in 2025

Leggi di più
Tour de France 2025

Tour de France 2025 stage 12 preview: The first summit finish

The first mountain-top finish of the Tour to Hautacam looms

Leggi di più
Ben Healy

Tour de France 2025 standings: the results after stage 11

The latest results and standings from the Tour de France 2025

Leggi di più
EF Education-EasyPost riders at the Tour de France 2025

Tour de France 2025 team ratings: How all 23 squads stack up on the first rest day

Rouleur assesses the best and the worst-performing teams after 10 days of racing

Leggi di più

READ RIDE REPEAT

JOIN ROULEUR TODAY

Get closer to the sport than ever before.

Enjoy a digital subscription to Rouleur for just £4 per month and get access to our award-winning magazines.

SUBSCRIBE