The route for the 2012 BC Bike Race has been announced, with twelve individually chip-timed sections spread across the seven-day event.

The race takes place in British Columbia, Canada, starting from North Vancouver and finishing in the mountain bike mecca of Whistler.

“We never rest on our laurels, having our course designers who are core mountain bikers and trail builders means new trails are added every year,” said BC Bike Race president Dean Payne.

In addition to Whistler, riders will experience singletrack heaven in Cumberland, Campbell River, Powell River, Sechelt and Squamish.

“BC Bike Race was one of the most fun events I have ever done,” said gravity legend Brian Lopes, who rode the 2011 edition. “Every day we were treated to some of the best trails in the world, trails I would have never experienced if it weren’t for the BC Bike Race.

“The race was really one against myself most of the time, but with a few timed downhill sections thrown in I knew I had a chance of actually getting some results there.  Like all top road stage races, there are categories for those with different skills and it was great to see the BC Bike Race organisers throw in some contests for those with exceptional DH skills.”

Course director Andreas Hestler added: “People have different styles, so we want to ensure that everyone has a chance to showcase their unique skill sets. Enduro racing essentially means that, rather than pinning it all day, riders will be able to ride around the body of the course and really focus in on a few very fast moments.”

The Epic race tackles around 50km each day, while the Challenge course has stages of approximately 30km. Both courses will see adjustments in 2012 to ensure less merging of the Challenge and Epic groups.

The BC Bike Race is limited to 500 riders – with just 20 places left for this year’s event. Head to www.bcbikerace.com for more.