BC Bike Race dates and stage locations

The 2026 race started in a chute on Dunsmuir Avenue, Cumberland's main street, and climbed a fire road so each wave could spread out before the singletrack. From the top it was mostly downhill: Bucket of Blood, Bear Buns and the Vanilla trails, then the technical features of Scat, Brat, 2 Flats and Bonestorm near the bottom. An access road took riders back to basecamp at Cumberland Village Park.

Cumberland is on the 2027 route too, as Stage 3.

A remote start at PRT Growing Services in Campbell River, where riders who drove themselves parked in a field by the start line. The loop ran through the second-growth forest of the Snowden Demonstration Forest and Elk Falls Provincial Park, past lakes and out onto open rocky bluffs, on trails like Tres Hombres, Jabberwocky, Rotary Rock and Roll and Dean Martin.

At 47.6 km it was the longest stage of 2026, but the race reports call Snowden fast and flowing. Campbell River isn't on the 2027 route.

A short gravel doubletrack spread the field, then Sobo no Michi, a purpose-built climbing trail, took riders to the upper network. From there it was mostly descending with punchy climbs between, on Race Rocks, Felicia, Thirsty Beaver, Field of Dreams and Woodcutter, and from the top of Nikkei Mountain the course dropped all the way back to Cumberland.

With 1,261 m of climbing it had the most of any 2026 stage. It rained that day, and the race report describes wet roots on Furtherburger and slick, exposed rock slabs on Race Rocks.

Hammerfest was new to the race in 2026. The stage started in the parking lot at the end of Errington Road, in Englishman River Falls Provincial Park, and rode through old growth cedar, Douglas fir and hemlock into the Hammerfest network. Locals call it "sufferfest" for its climbs. Up top were views of Mount Arrowsmith and the Strait of Georgia, then descents like 7 Day/Tom Cat Ridge, Insurrection, Scooby Doo and Dead Horses. The falls are right next to the finish.

Riders who drove parked along Englishman River Road. Hammerfest is on the 2027 XC route, as Stage 4.

A loop from the Nevilane Drive parking lot that circled Mount Tzouhalem with five climbs and the descents between them, an up-and-down day instead of one big climb and one big descent. The handbook singles out Double D, the mountain's favourite flow trail.

The lot sits in a residential neighbourhood: if it's full you park on the road, and you don't block driveways. In 2027, Mount Tzouhalem is the Enduro course's last day.

The stage started at Vancouver Island University, where drivers parked in lots A, B and C off Fifth Street. It went into The Abyss first, on trails like This Bud's 4 U and The Abyss itself, crossed to the Extension area for Black Keys and Gatekeeper, then rode Mount Benson toward Westwood Lake. A pedal by the lake led to the finish at Big Bang Cider, a short spin from the university.

Nanaimo isn't on the 2027 route.

The final stage left straight from basecamp at Cowichan Exhibition Park on country roads, crossed the smaller Richards Mountain and climbed Maple Mountain's trails, some of them technical. The payoff was a 380 m descent on Maple Syrup and the bermy Phloem, then Solar Coaster and Logger's Lane. An untimed spin took riders back to basecamp, where a timed sprint ended the day.

Maple Mountain is the 2027 XC course's last day, on May 28.