![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Elaine-Blais-juniro-womens-XCO--scaled.jpeg\")
<\/a>Eliane Blais wins the junior women\u2019s XCO title two days after taking the XCC championships.\nPittstop Racing: An evolving family<\/p>\n
2026 is the fourth year for the squad, with former racer Rebecca Beaumont still at the helm for a calendar of World Cup and North American racing. We caught up with the tireless Beaumont late one evening after she\u2019d finished a full day of work at her full-time job, around which she organizes and runs Pittstop racing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very happy,\u201d Beamont says of the teams stand-out weekend in Langford. \u201cIt was the first mountain bike national title for Mika, so it was very emotional and he was very happy. It\u2019s very well deserved.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Blais, the situation was the opposite. The first-year junior landed in Victoria after some very strong results.<\/p>\n
\u201cEliane had the pressure of winning. She was a little nervous, but she made everything work and she\u2019s very proud she could show what she is capable of,\u201d Beaumont adds. \u201cWe didn\u2019t put any pressure on her, but it\u2019s a different mindset to start the race knowing you can win. The whole week, we just kept repeating, be yourself, race how youknow you can race, don\u2019t try do anythign crazy or try have a magical race.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re thinking that sounds a little more rounded than your average team managers post-race results report, you\u2019d be right. Beaumont\u2019s kept Pittstop small, tight-knit and with a focus beyond just performance. That can be hard to maintain with a changing roster.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal of the team is still to help younger athletes reach pro teams. We\u2019ve had good outcomes with Marin [Lowe, now on Liv Factory Racing] and we\u2019re still close to her. Also Zorak [Paille], we\u2019re very proud to be part of their journey,\u201d Beaumont explains. \u201cSo the goal is always trying to find kinds that have potential, but not all the support they could have. I try to have athletes that are very positive, or have good energy together, and are willing to learn. They train a lot, but we talk about being good athletes outside of teh bike. Talking to people, learning to do PR, being grateful and thanking everybody when you go to events and just noticing that people are doing this in their free time.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not just Canadian politeness. Beaumont sees that as setting her riders up for success for responsibilities beyond the bike if they do earn spots on the rosters of larger teams.<\/p>\n For Beaumont, that commitment to helping athletes extends beyond just the Pittstop racers. Even when discussing Belzile getting beat by Wood, she is full of respect for Charge\u2019s young Pemberton racer. \u201cEmilien was disappointed, but he\u2019s also very proud of his race. There\u2019s no shame in being beaten by Ethan Wood.\u201d<\/p>\n Part of that might be being a small team with World Cup ambitions. With Pittstop\u2019s 2026 roster split between Comaniuk, who has a full World Cup calendar, and the two juniors whose opportunities to race are primarily in North America, Beaumont\u2019s split between two continents. Teaming together with several similarly sized Canadain teams, like Pivot Cycles-OTE and Blue Bridge Racing, means everyone has a better outcome with limited individual resources.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a big challenge. With only me, and only a couple people that sometimes support, it\u2019s been difficult,\u201d Beaumont says of keeping a small squad competitive overseas. \u201cWe\u2019re workign toether with Pivot to help each other when we go to Europe and, this year, working with Logan [Sadesky] and Soren [Weselake]\u2019s team, just trying to support each other because we cannot always be at all the events. It\u2019s just all a big group of friends.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a>Mika Comaniuk on course in Langford.
\nTeaming up for survival<\/p>\n