A WORLD champion will join some of the elite of British cycling for a gruelling road race this weekend.

Simon Yates who took a shock gold at the World Track Championships held in Minsk in February is to take part in the annual race around the Derwent Reservoir which gets underway on Saturday (April 27).

Yates will be joined by 130 of Britain’s best cyclists, including previous winners Ian Bibby, Dean Downing and Andrew Tennant alonf with members of the Great Britain Cycling Academy Team, for the two-day Northumbrian Water Tour of the Reservoir.

The race, now in its eighth year, began as a single day race but is now a two-day, two-stage tour event around the reservoir, which straddles the border of County Durham and Northumberland.

The 75-mile stage one race takes place on Saturday, starting from Blanchland village at 11.50am followed by five tough laps of the reservoir at speeds of up to 60mph.

Riders who cross the finishing line within 15 minutes of the stage winner will qualify for day two of the event, an eight-lap race around the same course.

The 104-mile race on Sunday again sets off from Blanchland at 10.20pm, with the winner expected to reach the finish on the dam wall at about 2.30pm.

Event organiser Mike Hodgson, from Tyne Valley Cycle club, said: "The Tour of the Reservoir is always exciting but this year should be even better with the added day.

"The event is billed locally as a mini Tour de France and always attracts the best cyclists in Britain. The new race route offers some fantastic vantage points and it’s great fun to watch."

Drivers are advised there will be a rolling road closure around Derwent reservoir between 10am and 3pm on both race days, including a short stretch of the A68.