Neilson Powless on his Indigenous American ancestry and triathlon roots

The first Indigenous North American to ride the Tour de France, Neilson Powless was perhaps destined to become a professional sportsperson. His father Jack was the United States Air Force athlete of the year in 1992, the same year that his mother Jeanette Allred competed in the marathon at the Barcelona Olympics for her home country of Guam.

While he was a youngster growing up in Roseville, California, it was anyone’s guess which sport Neilson would end up making his living from. He played basketball, soccer, and was “a really good boxer” according to father Jack. It was hitting the country trails on his mountain bike, though, as well as running and lake swimming, that most interested him. Adventure triathlons, in particular the Xterra series, were the realm where his potential began to shine through.

Neilson’s dad Jack was a late starter in endurance sport. Jack’s father Matthew, Neilson’s grandfather, was a tribal member of the Oneida Nation and became a paratrooper, meaning Jack was born on an Air Force base and spent part of his childhood on the Stockbridge Reservation in Wisconsin. Cage fighting and weightlifting were Jack’s sports until he joined the military himself in the 1980s, going on to become a fitness trainer in special operations.

Aged 29, Jack was introduced to triathlon by a friend, and he was instantly hooked. He qualified for the Ironman World Championships on his first attempt, and competed in another six, becoming a three-time All Military Ironman world champion. It was while stationed in Guam, a US- controlled island in the Pacific Ocean, that Jack met his wife Jen, and the pair moved to an Air Force base in Florida after the Barcelona Olympics.

The couple’s first child, Shayna, was born in 1994, and is now a professional road and mountain bike rider who was U23 national cross-country champion in 2013. Neilson was born in 1996, and when he was five, the family relocated to California. Both siblings won Xterra titles as kids, and in 2014 Neilson committed to one sport: road racing. A WorldTour pro since 2018, and riding for EF Education-EasyPost since 2020, he’s won a handful of big pro races and worn the King of the Mountains jersey at the Tour de France. So, what impact did their family backgrounds have on their sporting achievements? We chatted to Jack and Neilson to find out.

Neilson Powless, 27

What does being Indigenous American mean to you?

Almost everyone who has generations of Native Americans in their family will have at least 1% of European or some other descendants in their blood, but my grandpa is 100% Native. To have such a close connection to active American history and heritage makes me feel proud and grounded. We spent our summers on the reservation and I had so much fun.

How do you remember your childhood?

All four of us would run, bike and swim every day, as we had Folsom Lake nearby and an endless amount of mountain bike and running trails. It was all about adventure.

How good an athlete were you?

Running was my strongest sport, and in high school I recorded a 5k time of 14:50, the fastest in northern California. My mom bought a shirt with the time cheesily printed on the back!

What about swimming?

It was my weakest sport for sure, but I do think it might be the reason why I have much bigger collarbones than most cyclists.

Are you a triathlete at heart?

I gave up triathlon aged 16 or 17, and for a long time I identifi ed as a triathlete. When I moved to the road cycling world, I felt like a fi sh out of water: I wore short socks, didn’t know what bib straps were, wore my glasses on the inside of my helmet straps, and slip-on triathlon shoes.

Did your parents coach you?

My dad focused on swimming and cycling, and my mom coached running. Every time we went out, there was always something to fi x. “We’re gonna wrap those hands around your neck so you’ll be forced to keep them up!” she’d say. Or it would be: “Quit kicking your heels back so far!”

How did they coach you?

They didn’t write any training programmes for us, they’d just come up with something different each day, making up workouts on the fl y depending on what we wanted to do.

Did your dad’s tough childhood inspire you?

He grew up in an Indiana village of 40 people, living in a two-bed house off -grid with his grandpa, his mom and five siblings, with no running water and living off government boxes of food each month. The military was his way to break free from that, and because of his resourcefulness it enabled me and Shayna to have the childhood we did.

Were you aware of your parents’ sporting successes?

Definitely my dad’s, as he was always winning and he had so many trophies.

What’s one big difference between you and your dad?

He can handle the cold better than I can – he’s got more meat on his bones.

Jack Powless, 63

You had an unusual upbringing?

Yes, I didn’t really know my father until I was 11, but then I would spend every summer with him on the reservation in Wisconsin. My dad was very instrumental in educating and developing our knowledge and passion for our roots. He was an amazing man.

Did your father do any sports?

He was a boxer and was European featherweight military champion when he was stationed in Germany. When he left the army, he turned pro and opened his own boxing gym on the reservation. He trained Neilson and Shayna as kids.

How did you approach training?

When I was competing in Ironman World Championships, others were doing 250 miles on the bike, 40-mile runs and 20,000-yard swims a week, but I was doing half of that.

Has that changed over the years?

Not really, and the very low-volume method is how we trained the kids because we made it fun for them. They didn’t know they were working out; they were just having a good time.

How did your military background influence your parenting?

Our parenting was the opposite of regimented, that’s for sure. It was all about developing a love for sport. But we also taught them discipline and sticking something out.

Why did you place such importance on sport?

Because it was such a good way to meet other kids and to develop leadership and team-building skills. That’s why they played soccer, basketball, volleyball and even theatre and ballet. Let me tell you, Neilson was quite the dancer!

What was Neilson’s best sport?

Aged 10, he was very good at running, but he was interested in triathlon. Mountain biking later became his best sport – he could have been a pro.

What’s one big difference between the both of you?

Neilson adapts much more quickly to altitude than I do.

The no-conferring round

Guess what he said when we asked...

Sum up your dad.

Neilson’s answer: He loves hard work but also knows how to make life fun and enjoy it.

Jack’s guess: He recently told me I’m the fittest old guy he knew. I wasn’t sure how to take that!

What’s a habit your dad ought to change?

N: I do sometimes wish he and Mom wouldn’t talk about me and my sister so much! I know they’re proud but don’t talk about it for too long, yeah?

J: Here’s a habit he needs to change: call us more often! If we want to talk to Neilson, we have to call him!

How are you and your dad most similar?

N: We’re both easygoing, happy guys who do stuff because

we like it.

J: How nice we both are!

Are you physically similar?

N: Facially, yes, but our body types are different. That said, I can hop on his Cannondale gravel bike and not have to change a thing. On the bike we have the exact same position.

J: His very narrow hips and broad shoulders are more similar to his mom’s.

Who’s more competitive?

N: No matter what it is, my dad wants to improve. He’ll be making a coffee

and he’ll think, ‘How can I improve this espresso?’

J: I think that one’s me! Out of the kids, Shayna is more competitive than Neilson.

What’s tougher, triathlon or cycling?

N: They’re both hard but I think he’d say cycling because you can train perfectly but you’re at the mercy of other people.

J: Triathlon is hard, but after being around road cycling, gosh, that WorldTour stuff is really tough.

Could your dad have been a pro cyclist?

N: If he’d found it before his late 20s, for sure. He has the engine for it.

J: It’s a ‘coulda, woulda, shoulda’ question that you can’t answer. Let’s say I’d like to have had the opportunities the kids did.

Who’ll have the more illustrious career?

N: It’s impressive that triathlon was never my dad’s sole source of income, he did it because he loved it.

J: Oh, definitely Neilson. By far! It’s not even a close one!