'Build things and blow things up' - Dani Audino combines US military service with civilian pursuits in pro peloton and footwear design

Dani Audino uses the phrase "blow things up" to describe one of her jobs, but she was not referring to scenarios in the fast-paced peloton for criterium racing with Fount Cycling Guild. Among her past duties as a combat engineer in the US Marine Corps Reserve, Audino meant, quite literally, she uses "demolition both for offensive and defensive purposes".

The 31-year-old is a Company Executive Officer in the US Marine Corps Reserve, first commissioned in 2021. Her military unit is based in Eugene, Oregon, so she commutes there from her current home in Boulder, Colorado, about once a month. She explained that "we build things and we blow things up", as work included "breaching obstacles to gain entry, and clearing a lane through a minefield or neutralizing an IED [improvised explosive device]".

Her full-time job as a civilian has been tamer, designing footwear for Specialized, and she added bike racing to the mix just two years ago for Fount Cycling Guild, a domestic elite women's team now based in Kentucky. It's been a total transformation since playing collegiate soccer 10 years ago.

"It was definitely pretty crazy the last couple of years, bouncing between bike racing, Marine Corps and my civilian job. But, it taught me a lot. I feel like they really balanced each other out," she told Cyclingnews.

"I found cycling was such a good way to stay super fit, while kind of counter-acting a lot of the stress injuries I was getting from the rucking and the physical nature of the Marine Corps. I switched to cycling from triathlon fully in about 2022, kind of dove right in and fell in love with it, and started racing in 2023. I made cat. 2 in 2024, and here we are."

The Washington native picked up cycling in 2016 as a senior at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, where she had just completed her final season of Division III women's soccer. For a few years, she found a 'competitive outlet' with triathlons, until she was commissioned into the Marine Corps in 2021 and signed a reserve contract.

"​​I held service members in such a high regard, but I never really thought that path was open to me, just because not many people in my family serve. So it wasn't until I was in graduate school that I seriously considered it and told my parents that I wanted to do this in 2020. They were shocked at first, but they were super supportive."

She transitioned fully to cycling in 2022, winning four one-day races at the entry Cat. 4 level in 2023, and then moved to Cat. 2 status in 2024, which included second in the criterium at Valley of the Sun stage race. She's now adjusting to positioning, tactics and assertiveness in the top criteriums across the US.

"This has been my first full season racing as a Cat 2, so my main objective was gaining confidence and skills racing at the pointy end of the pro races. I love how dynamic these races are, they really challenge me not only from a physical standpoint but from a mental and tactical perspective as well," she said.

"I focused mainly on crit racing this past spring and summer. It was really rewarding to see myself progress from just trying to hang on at the beginning of the season, to playing an integral role in helping Andrea Cyr snag ACC [American Criterium Cup] points in Utah in June.

"It's my first time doing Speedweek, and I've done Athens Twilight, which was incredible. The atmosphere was just really, really fun to race in. I feel Speedweek mixes it up with every race and keeps it really interesting. There was nothing that could quite compare to the atmosphere at Tulsa Tough. Cry Baby Hill is something I think all crit racers should experience!"

Across three races after Athens Twilight, she finished in the top 20 in all three. She had similar results at the two-day LHM-CC Utah Crits in June to support Fount Cycling team leader Andrea Cyr, who was ushered to fourth place on the Saturday event to keep her in the top rankings of the American Criterium Cup series.

Over-achiever or just purely inspirational? Fount Cycling's co-founder and manager Jennifer Wheeler goes with inspirational, signing her from a Talent ID camp. Audino sees it all adding up to staying fit and creating a balance of life pursuits.

"Dani has massively improved from when she started camp to this year. She is able to consistently stay in the front of the peloton and fulfill her role as a teammate. She brings an energy and determination that is contagious and inspiring. We are really glad she took the risk and attended our Talent ID camp," Wheeler told Cyclingnews.

"She had some conflicts with Marine obligations, but we have been able to work around her schedule for her to attend US Pro, Tulsa Tough, Speedweek and Indy Momentum this year."

Audino appreciates the team's flexibility with her schedule as much as she does the opportunity to gain experience at racing.

"Fount has always been incredibly understanding and supportive of my commitments to the Marine Corps. They understand that my service commitments come first and work with me to plan my racing and training schedule around it. I may not be able to bring a bike with me on field exercises with my unit, but we make up those lost training days with higher volume weeks before and after," she said.

Audino said there were a lot of similarities between riding on a six-rider or seven-rider squad in a race and leading a company of 60 Marines under herself and a company commander.

"Bike racing is something I'm super passionate about, and I really want to take it as far as I can go. I think the mentality is very similar to the Marine Corps and that it's very team-based, very mission-oriented. And I think they complement each other pretty well."

Bike racing, she confirmed, was easier than 'rucking', a physical activity in the military where "you carry a heavy load on your back and move long distances as quickly as you can". The distance can be three miles or 15 miles, and the weight can be 35 pounds or more.

Recently, she has made a decision to make yet another transition, this one from the reserves to full-time military service.

"I could continue my civilian career while serving in the Marine Corps, and that's what I did for a handful of years. Focusing on crits presented fewer logistical challenges while I balanced my career at Specialized and in the Marine Corps Reserves, so it was a win-win," she said.

"In 2023, I was able to go to South Korea for a month as a part of Operation Freedom Shield. This was a joint exercise involving the Republic of Korea Marines and every branch from the US Department of Defense. It was a really cool experience to work with service members from around the globe.

"I love pushing myself as hard as I can with friends. I think it's something that is really special when you're able to kind of give everything you have in the moment, and you have someone who's doing that right next to you. And I noticed that, you know, when I'm with my found teammates training, or I'm on a rock with my platoon, and we're all kind of like pushing ourselves, driving toward the same goal.

"Looking forward, I plan to shift my focus away from my civilian career and focus on my career in the Marine Corps. A couple of months ago, I decided that's what I want my full-time career to be. We need strong leadership from men and women in our services, and I am looking forward to focusing on that in the near future."