TOUR OF THE RESERVOIR IS ON

Tour of the Reservoir organiser Mike Hodgson has confirmed that the race will take place on March 30 following intense negotiations with police.

With the cancellation of the Archer GP and Tour of Somerset in recent weeks, the Premier Calendar was in danger of imploding but Hodgson has given the race series some good news: ?We have really had to work hard to get this race on. British Cycling has been up here, banging the drum, and I can confirm that the race will definitely go ahead,? said Hodgson.

The course lies under the jurisdiction of two separate police authorities ? Durham and Northumbria ? and there lies the problem. With the farcical fourth stage of the Tour of Britain still fresh in the memory (the race was neutralised for the 18-mile section through North Yorkshire), dealing with multiple police forces is clearly a headache for organisers.

?Durham police have insisted on a total road closure on their part of the course,? explained Hodgson, ?but Northumbria Police have not. We are still not exactly sure what form that part of the race will take ? rolling road closure probably ? but the race does have permission from both forces.?

?If we can get a total road closure from Northumbria we can take another thousand riders!? joked Hodgson. The 2007 race was won by Dean Downing (Rapha-Condor) in a tight sprint from Gordon McCauley (PCA) and Robin Sharman (KFS).