by By Dan Ninham
The Oneida Nation in Wisconsin has two tribal member siblings excelling on the world stage at the same time in two different locations. Neilson Powless is one of three American’s racing in the Tour de France and sister Shayna just raced on the virtual cycling platform of the Zwift WTRL Gravel Series.
World-class cyclist and Oneida tribal member Shayna Powless, 26, explained an innovative recent virtual racing platform: “The Zwift World Tactical Racing Leagues (WTRL) Gravel Series was a four race event held once a week over four weeks. It took place on the virtual racing platform called Zwift, a virtual cycling program in which you ride a bike hooked up to a smart trainer that pairs with the Zwift app via a Bluetooth connection. The races featured riders from around the world, since anyone from any country was able to compete. Each race in the gravel series was 18.2 miles and took place on the Jungle Circuit in Zwift.”
“The circuit consisted of mostly dirt and a little bit of pavement, hence why my race bike of choice was a mountain bike. I was fifth place in the first race of the series, and 4th place in the second race, so going into the last two races I was super eager to win. In the last two races, I was able to hang on with the lead group until the very end and out-sprinted everyone just before the finish line,” added Shayna.
“This year I’ve seen a tremendous amount of growth on the Zwift platform,” said Shayna. “Zwift has really done an amazing job stepping up during a time when in-real-life racing has been put on hold and it’s been fun seeing more and more cyclists of all levels participate.”
“Zwift has allowed my teammates and I to continue racing and communicating together in ways that I never would have thought possible before this year. Before and during races, our team often communicates live via Discord, a group-call app, in order to discuss tactics and speak to each other if needed during critical moments in the competitions, an added element to virtual racing that has made it that much more like IRL racing,” added Shayna.
“The highlight of the racing so far this year has undoubtedly been the first ever virtual Tour de France (TDF) hosted back in July in which our team finished second overall,” said Shayna. “It’s truly amazing that the world’s most prestigious cycling event was made available for both top-tier professional teams, and the public community. I’ll be forever grateful for Zwift for making the TDF race series happen and for creating an equal platform for both men and women in the races and media representation.”
“My training schedule typically includes riding six out of the seven days of the week, with off-the-bike strength workouts three times per week,” said Shayna. “In total, a typical week would consist of 12-20 hours of bike training and about three hours of strength training.”
“Due to COVID, I haven’t gone to the gym for strength training this year, and have instead been meeting with my strength coach for live sessions via Zoom from home. I have a true love and appreciation for strength training off the bike. Ever since last year, I’ve been consistently incorporating strength into my weekly routine and have noticed significant improvements in my overall strength both on and off the bike,” added Shayna.
“Every strength workout is a little different and always includes a mix of different weighted, plyometric, bodyweight, and breathing exercises,” said Shayna. “I’m a firm believer that any cyclist or athlete, no matter their experience level, can make tremendous gains from incorporating strength workouts into their routine.”
“Shayna has been racing Zwift for close to two years now and it’s showing in her recent results which include two wins in the past two weeks,” said TWENTY20 team manager Nicola Cranmer. “Her progress has been steady and we are hoping to position her for selection to the USA team for the inaugural UCI virtual World Championships in December. Zwift Racing isn’t just about skill and power but also it’s about patience.”
“Her spirit animal the turtle shows in her perseverance of the discipline,” said Nicola. Shayna is a member of the Turtle clan as an Oneida tribal member.
Cass Barrett, owner/performance director at Core FIT Training and Shayna Powless’ strength coach, recently said: “I have been working with Shayna for about 15 months now, and in that time she has really begun to come on as a real deal elite cyclist, as everyone knew she had the potential to do. She gained a tremendous amount of strength and explosiveness through embracing our training process to the fullest extent of her capabilities. Shayna also illustrated an incredible level of mental resilience as we’ve come through the past five months of uncertainty. She has been 100% adherent to her strength training and despite some changes in her equipment situation as she relocated from Florida to Ohio we have made every training session a winner.”
“Shayna has an incredible potential to be the next big in USA Cycling, should she continue to develop on her current trajectory. She has an amazingly athletic physical presentation and as such has quickly adapted to the extra training load like a duck in water. Her ability to produce force has improved drastically over the course of the past year or so, and with that I believe her ability to power through pedal strokes, as well as having the stamina at the end of races to blow her competition’s doors off,” added Cass.
“I also know the combination of a world class strength training program and a world class cycling program produced world class athletes,” said Cass.
“Right now, my goal is to continue to get stronger and improve in my racing as a cyclist,” said Shayna. “I would love to get on the podium more often at big races as well as continue being a supportive teammate for other riders on my team. An important goal in my cycling career is to become the best possible athlete and ambassador for the sport that I can be. Specifically, I would like to inspire more women and girls to get involved in the sport. I also want to inspire more Native American and indigenous men and women to enter the sport, as they are arguably the most underrepresented demographic in the cycling scene. Additionally, I hope to one day compete in the Olympics and be the first Native American woman to compete in the first ever women’s Tour de France to be held in 2022.”
Dad Jack Powless, Oneida tribal member, was a US Air Force career man that competed in the Ironman Triathlon in the military division. After a fourth place finish in 1991 and runner-up in 1992, Jack was the IM Hawaii Military Division champion in 1993 with a time of 9:25:28 and just under six minutes ahead of the runner-up and fellow USAF triathlete Michael Buonaugurio. In 1994 Jack and Michael tied in 9:47:16 and Jack was given the runner-up spot. In 1995 Jack was on top of the podium with a IM Hawaii Military Division champion time of 9:51:15.
Mom Jeanette Allred-Powless is the head coach of the American River College women’s track and field team. She was a three-time Olympic qualifier for Guam in ’88, ’92, and ’96. She ran in the ’92 Barcelona Olympic Marathon.
Jack Powless and Jeanette Allred at the time met in Guam. They recently celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary. The genes are definitely in place for their children to follow in their endurance racing footsteps and bike paths.
Shayna and her partner Eli Ankou, Ojibwe, started the non-profit organization called the Dreamcatcher Foundation. On the website front page, Shayna said: “Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your sould on fire.” The website is located here: https://shaynapowless.com/ The foundation is committed to empowering youth through sports focusing on football and cycling camps. Eli is a defensive lineman for the NFL’s Cleveland Browns.
“Shayna is also sponsored by Nike N7,” said dad Jack. “N7 is a branch of Nike that sponsors Native American athletes.”
“Competing in the Zwift races has been a great way for pro bike racers to stay connected and to race safely during the pandemic,” said Jack. “We believe it has given Shayna a tool to improve on her bike racing ability even through the pandemic. This is due to the intensity of the racing and the lack of ability to rest between hard efforts like you normally could do in a real life bike race. We think the sky is the limit for Shayna and can’t wait for real, on the road, racing starts up again. We believe Shayna will be racing at another level.”
“It has been super exciting watching my brother, Neilson Powless, race in his first ever Tour de France with the American team, EF Pro Cycling,” said Shayna. “He is just one of three Americans racing in the Tour this year and has worked super hard to make it to this point in his cycling career. He is also the first Native American to be racing in the Tour de France and that is a huge honor. Seeing him work hard everyday for his teammates and get a huge amount of media coverage via NBCSN Sports has been amazing!”
Neilson will be turning 24 years old during his TDF stage on September 3rd.
“Growing up, we were always competitive with each other and drove each other to work hard,” said Shayna. “I think this drive and mutual inspiration between us has played a huge role in where we both are today in our cycling careers.”
Photo Credit: Shayna Powless and Eli Ankou
Nice! Thanks to being a NDNSports follower for the last several months I’ve been following her brother, Neilson, in the Tour de France. He’s an awesome climber! Way to go, Shayna, and keep chasing your goals.
A great article. I had no idea of virtual cycling and learned so much. Shayna you are an amazing ambassador for women’s cycling. Keep being awesome!