When Owen Simpson ponied up to the starting line of the Calloway Gardens Fitness Series mountain bike race in Pine Mountain, Ga., two weeks ago, he made a point of securing a coveted spot along the front row.

Simpson, 29, who races for Smoky Mountain Bicycles in Franklin, quickly got out in front and stayed there the remainder of the 18-mile race.

“I saw somebody one time up the first climb and he was probably 100 yards behind me, but nobody was even close,” Simpson said. “I had a good day.”

There’s one disadvantage to being in the lead, though.

“It is kind of hard to keep yourself motivated. It is sometimes easier if you have somebody in front of you you’re trying to catch,” Simpson said.

Simpson not only came in first in the expert class, but set a new record for the track, located at Calloaway Gardens Park. It’s Simpson’s first year racing in the expert class after getting into the mountain bike racing scene just two years ago.

“It is addictive once you get started. Once I did my first race, I just couldn’t stop. You hear that from a lot of people,” Simpson said. “I’d race every weekend if I could.”

Simpson works for Timber Creek Builders and Developers and is getting his construction management degree from Western Carolina University. Simpson was involved in organizing a WCU bike team.