Giant Factory Off-Road Team riders Josh Carlson and Kelli Emmett won the pro men's and women's categories at last weekend's Ashland Enduro mountain bike race, the second round of the Oregon Enduro Series. The two dominated the popular two-day event, which consisted of four stages testing riders’ all-around trail skills. The first three stages took place Saturday, the fourth on Sunday.

Extreme weather conditions, including rain and hail on Saturday, produced challenging course conditions for the deep field of racers in Ashland. Carlson, a 26-year-old first-year member of the Giant Factory Off-Road Team, is focusing on enduro racing this year, and said he was thrilled to face off against 60-plus pro men with his Trance X Advanced SL.

Carlson faced tough conditions on Saturday, racing on muddy, icy trails. He lost some time on Stage 2 and knew he had to make it up on Sunday's Stage 4, the longest of the race.

“I was really focused on Stage 4,” Carlson said. “It was longer, had a lot of super-fast turns, and I knew the track would be super grippy by the time we started in the afternoon.”

Carlson put in his best ride on Sunday, gaining enough time to beat the second-place overall finisher Nathan Riddle by 10 seconds. Giant Factory Off-Road Team rider Carl Decker, an Oregon resident, was close behind, finishing fifth overall.

In women’s racing, Factory Off-Road Team rider Kelli Emmett rode her Anthem X Advaced 29er to the win, beating second-place finisher Mary Moncorrge by 44 seconds.