Independent businesses fly flag for Harrogate in UCI cycling championships

One Harrogate family business has even been appointed official meat supplier to the Great Britain team.

Although the main bulk of international spectators is not expected in the town until later in the week, a growing number of independent shops and cafes in Harrogate town centre have been putting up bunting and ‘Harrogate welcomes the world’s cyclists’ signs.

Some have even been forging close links with leading cycling organisations to make themselves a 'hub' for cycling fans.

And, in a show of support for shops and businesses in Harrogate town centre, Harrogate Business Improvement District will be presenting street entertainment on the final weekend of the UCI Road World Championships including The Skulls – a theatre troupe of puppetry, magic and theatre – this Friday, September 27.

Harrogate BID has also been handing out its new ‘Harrogate Autumn Offers’ booklet featuring more than 64 businesses from across the town centre with bespoke discounts and deals for local shoppers and UCI visitors.

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BARS

Cold Bath Brewing Co, King's Road, Harrogate

After being confirmed as an official supplier to the UCIs, Zwift will be taking over Cold Bath Brewery Co at Kings Road as a pop-up 44 King’s Road.

The Zwift Draft House pop-up is located on two floors next door to the popular Harrogate bar near the UCI route.

Designed to be a hangout for fans and pro cyclists alike, it will be a key place next to the town centre circuit where visitors can grab a cup of coffee, refuel with some food, busy some fab Sigma cycling gear and try one of four new Zwift and Cold Bath Brewery collaborative craft beers.

It will also offer the chance to tryout five different 3D Zwift virtual Yorkshire routes, including the UCI Road World Championship course in Harrogate itself.

The Zwift-Cold Bath Brewing Co collaboration will see a series of special events throughout the week including real bicycle rides starting at the Draft House and in person appearances by cycling stars.

Thursday night is the big one where Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas is expected to appear as part of a LIVE 'Watts Occurring' podcast.

Team Ineos pros Luke Rowe and Geraint Thomas will be talking about the current UCI championships in front of a live audience.

This will be an interactive and entertaining session with two of the pro peloton’s most talented riders.

The podcast will include a live Q&A format, and fans are asked to come ready with questions.

Real-life rides include a 'Gravel Ride' with ASSOS and Wahoo this Thursday morning, leaving the Draft House at 8am for some of the most charming lanes around Harrogate, returning to the Draft House.

Meanwhile the Race the Pros’ Ride will take place this Sunday, September 29 in collaboration with Aussie cycling brand MAAP.

Leaving the Zwift Draft House at 7.30am, the idea is to cycle to catch the Elite Men’s Road Race as they speed up the hills in Ilkley at the beginning of the course.

In fact, Cold Bath Brewing Co has organised four cycling weekends in Harrogate for 2020 - one in Harrogate for the Tour de Yorkshire in May and three abroad, two of them with Harrogate twin towns.

Starling Independent Beer & Coffee House, Oxford Street , Harrogate

Starling Independent Beer & Coffee House on Oxford Street will be hosting big cycling names Rapha and Canyon for the full duration of the Road World Championships as their Community Hub.

And Starling is also offering raffle tickets with the chance to win a Canyon Grail CF SL 8.0 Di2 bicycle plus a full Rapha UCI Racewear bundle with all proceeds being donated to Saint Michael’s Hospice.

North Bar, 2D Cheltenham Parade, Harrogate

Festooned in giant cycling flags and welcoming bunting, the North Bar is part of a Leeds-based independent chain which has long supported cycling.

To celebrate the arrival of the UCI cycling championships, its brewing wing, North Brewing Co has created a new beer called Route.

This session IPA clocks in at 4.8% and is hopped with Enigma, Centennial and Ekuanot.

The Fat Badger, Cold Bath Road, Harrogate

One of Harrogate's favourite traditional English pubs, the Fat Badger organised an outside bar and barbecue last Saturday to celebrate the arrival of the UCIs.

HOTELS

The DoubleTree by Hilton Harrogate Majestic Hotel & Spa has taken the step of commissioning a new piece of nique land art in its grounds to help “Welcome the World” and celebrate its position next to the A61 Ripon Road – one of the major UCI race routes.

Hotels based on Parliament Street such as the Yorkshire Hotel, Hotel du Vin and West Park Hotel not only have bunting up, on Saturday they were part of a parade of pop-up bars and eateries to cater to cycling fans and visitors.

SHOPS

One of Harrogate's real hot beds of independent shops, bars and businesses has printed its own leaflet for UCI cycling championships visitors.

The colourful guide called Cold Bath Road HG2 contains a map of where all 27 independents in the Cold Bath Road/Harlow Hill area are based.

J. E. Audsley Family Butcher, 47 St Winifred's Avenue, Harrogate

A Harrogate butcher in the Saints area of town, J. E. Audsley is supplying the Great Britain cycling team throughout the UCI cycling championships.

The award-winning butcher serves the local community with only the best seasonal produce and quality meat, direct from the finest local Yorkshire farm.

John Audsley said: "J E Audsley Butchers has supplied top quality meat to wholesalers and retailers in the local area for the past 50 years.

"With the UCI World Championship coming to Harrogate, we were honoured to be recommended by the catering manager to supply the meat for the Great Britain cycling team.

"We are proud to have been given this unique opportunity and work in partnership to support this great event."

Harrogate Wines at 3 Montpellier Street in the Montpellier Quarter is embracing the UCI World Championship with a Bollinger Champagne pop up bar running throughout the 8 days. Bollinger even offered the shop a bicycle with its own ice box on the front.

Owner Andy Langshaw said: "We thought of how best to maximise the huge numbers of visitors to the town and we saw the Bollinger bike and thought it would be a perfect fit for us."

Popular indie cafe The Kitchen is located on one of the main cycling race routes in the Harrogate town centre circuit.

Rather than being worried about the prospect of the peleton and the crowds of cycling fans forming several times each day during the UCIs, owners Sue and Lizzie Warburton are embracing it with cycling-themed bunting in the window at the popular cafe at 135 Otley Road.

Sophie Hartley of Harrogate’s Sophie Likes at 36 Beulah Street has festooned her shop with bunting and a huge range of cycling-related gifts and UCI bunting, signs and T-shirts.

The former Greenwoods Menswear shop at 14 Parliament St, Harrogate has been turned into a coffee shop for the UCI cycling championships.

HOSPITALITY MARQUEES

The Pedal Inn Hospitality Hub is offering a number of hospitality packages at West Park United Reformed Church in a special marquee near the finish line with a complimentary bar, food, toilets and big screens each day.

It's also offering a Business Friday cut-price offer for the Pedal Inn Hospitality Hub.

On Friday it is opening its doors to local businesses – Harrogate companies are signing up!

It says: "Why not give your employees the opportunity to soak up the amazing atmosphere with an early Friday afternoon finish. The Pedal Inn hospitality hub is like no other location on race day, this smaller more intimate venue is positioned up higher giving you the best views directly opposite the finish line of the UCI world bike championships, you can’t get any closer to the action than this location which is situated next to the press centre so you can see the riders too once they get their breath back.

"For local companies we are offering a discount, tickets will include: admission, 1 drink and a burger.

For more information or if you have any enquiries please contact [email protected] or purchase tickets online.

BUSINESSES

CNG Ltd, 2 Victoria Avenue, Harrogate

As well as the finish line being just outside CNG Towers on Victoria Avenue, the West Park Fan Zone is right on this gas energy company's doorstep.

Which is why it's put up a gigantic banner on the outside of its building welcoming the UCIs and drawing attention to its own 25th anniversary as a business.

The company will also be hosting a cycling competition on Wednesday, September 25 in aid of its £25k charity challenge.

Using two exercise bikes borrowed from our very kind friends at Pure Gym, CNG will be putting the public, and its staff, to the test to see how far they can cycle within two minutes.

BANKS

Several Harrogate banks in the town centre have put up Harrogate Welcomes The World or UCI cycling championships bunting.

Lloyds Bank on Cambridge Crescent has gone one step further and is getting on its bike all this week itself to raise money for charity.

The staff are aiming to match the amount of miles cycled by the pros in the UCIs on a static bike at the bank - a massive 582km.

The proceeds will go to Macmillan Cancer.

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