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Wednesday, May 05, 2021 Austin San Souci rides in the Tennessee National Enduro March 14 in Windrock, Tennessee. Ryan Little photo
Austin San Souci was just 2 years old the first time he rode a bike.
“He never had training wheels. He just took off,” said his father, Tyler San Souci. “We sort of supported that all along.”
Now 16, Austin has expanded his aspirations far beyond the backyard of his parents’ Bryson City home. The Swain County High School student spends much of his time on the road, working toward his ultimate goal of becoming a professional mountain bike rider.
Last year was Austin’s first racing downhill, his chosen genre within the mountain biking family. The results were encouraging, to say the least. In 2020, during the four-part Downhill Southeast Series, he posted first, second, third and seven-place finishes, delivering an overall first place ranking based on total points earned during the series.