Ride, Reflect, Repeat with Nick Balli

Nick is a rider who proves that passion, persistence, and maybe a touch of stubbornness can take you pretty far—whether that’s up a Wasatch climb at sunrise or across the finish line at Leadville. He grew up in Salt Lake City as the oldest of three kids. He earned his Eagle Scout, served an LDS mission in Milan, Italy, earned his Economics degree from the U and MBA from Westminster. He even found time to volunteer at the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, supporting the U.S. Olympic Team with athlete services and translation. He’s been with Optum for 23 years, working his way up from sales to Director of Business Operations, and I think he’d tell you the reason he’s stayed so long is because of the people and relationships. He’s been married to his wife, Jennilynn, for 17 years - and she keeps him fueled with plenty of baked goods. He is a proud dad of two (one through fertility treatments and one through adoption), and shares his home with Bella, a 5-year-old St. Bernard who probably weighs more than all of his bikes combined. He’s been passionate about sports since he was young. He ran track and cross country, once ran a marathon, finishing in 4hrs and 4 min, and swore ‘never again,’ and eventually found his true love in cycling. Since then, he’s tackled countless endurance events—multiple century rides, six LOTOJAs, Steamboat Springs Gravel, and most recently, the Leadville 100 MTB. Nick is so grateful for the Mi Duole team. Riding with them has pushed him to grow as a cyclist while also creating meaningful friendships that extend beyond the bike.  Around the house, he’s known as the guy who fills the garage with bikes, never stops talking about cycling, and occasionally finishes a project or two in between rides. Passionate, disciplined, and just stubborn enough to keep pushing through the hard stuff is what makes him such a strong rider and a great husband and father.