Carli Dean-Moreno - OCG Ambassador
Carli Dean-Moreno is a Colorado girl through and through. When she’s not teaching high schoolers how to speak Spanish, she can be found cycling, snowboarding, hiking, stand-up paddle boarding, or just being outside with her husband and dog.
Her cycling journey started thanks to her father. He rode his bike everywhere, and that was on top of walking 3-4 miles a day as a mailman for over 40 years. Back then, Carli’s dad would hitch a trailer to the back of his bike when she was a toddler. Eager to ride without his help, Carli taught herself how to ride one day before he got home from work. However, it wasn’t until she was about 13 that she was able to keep up with him.
They took rides together in the summertime, and Carli kept the love of cycling when she went on to college. Eventually, she trained for the AIDS/LifeCycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise money for HIV care and prevention. She completed the ride twice with Team Colorado.
Now, cycling means freedom! It’s a way to clear her head, exercise, or just be outside.
“I know that I can count on cycling to bring me joy and freedom. Cycling can be meditative, challenging, or just a release… the variety of meaningfulness of cycling always keeps drawing me back.”
For Carli, cycling is all about the journey. Plus, it’s a low-impact activity that is still a good workout.
“It’s incredible the different journeys you can take on two wheels - on a bike path, on the road, in the mountains, or even down the street for happy hour. My bike can take me to so many places whether it’s the journey or destination, I make the most out of it.”
Carli rides for herself, but she also rides for her dad. If it wasn’t for him, she wouldn’t have trained for the AIDS/LifeCycle ride, nor have met her incredible teammates who have now become her best friends. Additionally, she wouldn’t have discovered some beautiful places to ride. Recently, Carli lost her father to pancreatic cancer, and she will continue to ride for him.
Along with the memory of her father, Carli counts on the support from her husband, her mom, and her teammates to keep going. Carli’s biggest motivation is to pass along her love for cycling. She is starting to get her husband to ride bikes, and they are excited to take many road trips with their bikes in their newly converted van! She is looking forward to the small rides through national parks or campsites and continuing to make memories with him and sharing her love for cycling.
If Carli isn’t snowboarding to stay active in the winter, she can depend on her Peloton to keep moving forward no matter the weather conditions. Through cycling, Carli learned to be patient and persevere. For her, cycling is all about the journey and adventures along the way. She may not be the fastest person - slow and steady finishes the race - but each pedal stroke works towards the memories she wants to make. All while getting a great workout!
CARLI’S CHOICES
To keep making new memories and moving forward no matter what, Carli needs high-quality, performance gear that will help her achieve her goals and feel good and comfortable on the road. With her OCG gear, she is kitted out and ready to continue her cycling journey.
