How Shayna Ankou found purpose through sport, culture and community
Shayna Ankou (née Powless), a member of the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin, has built a diverse athletic career that spans 12 years as a professional and 14 years as an athlete across multiple sports. She began as a runner, competing in cross country, track, and triathlon throughout school in Roseville, California, United States. She set the mile record and became a top distance runner. In her senior year, she shifted her focus to cross-country mountain biking, embracing a new sport and redefining her athletic identity.
Her decision reflected a willingness to embrace uncertainty, pursue her passions and seek continuous growth. This mindset shaped her professional cycling career. Over the next 12 years, Ankou competed in road, track, mountain biking, gravel, cyclocross and virtual racing, representing the USA internationally. She competed at eight World Championships across multiple disciplines, including cross country mountain biking, track, Esports and gravel. Her final World Championships appearance for the USA was at the 2024 UCI Gravel World Championships, which was also her last official race before retiring. Rather than specializing, she built a reputation for versatility, resilience and development.
Sports are only one aspect of Ankou’s story. Raised in Roseville, California, USA, she remained closely connected to her Oneida heritage in Wisconsin, USA, through frequent family visits and participation in community traditions. These experiences shaped her identity and influenced how she would later use her platform.
Her commitment to community expanded in 2018 when Ankou and her husband, Eli Ankou, a professional football player and member of the Dokis First Nation, founded the Dream Catcher Foundation. The organization empowers Indigenous youth through sports and supports Indigenous Peoples through advocacy and outreach.
For Ankou, success is now defined by more than race results. She takes pride in seeing young athletes gain confidence, build friendships and develop a passion for activity. This commitment led her to coaching. As a USA Cycling-certified coach and founder of Powless Performance, she works directly with athletes at all levels, helping them achieve their goals and celebrating their progress.
Dream Catcher’s impact extends beyond sports. The foundation raises awareness about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) crisis and supports organizations addressing this ongoing issue in Indigenous communities across North America. For Ankou, giving back involves both celebrating the strengths of Indigenous communities and addressing their challenges.
At the end of the 2024 season, Ankou retired from professional cycling after a 12-year professional career. Although this marked the end of one chapter, she remained involved in the sport through coaching, content creation and advocacy, and has also become a mother. Having a daughter has given her renewed purpose and a broader perspective on legacy, focusing on her impact beyond sports and on future generations.
Through coaching, introducing Indigenous youth to cycling, advocacy and personal reflection, Ankou demonstrates that success is about more than results. She consistently seeks to inspire others, strengthen communities and create positive change for future generations.
Q&A with Shayna Ankou
Powless reflects on taking risks, staying connected to her culture, building opportunities for Indigenous youth, advocating for change and finding new purpose beyond professional sport.
Q: You were already finding success as a runner and triathlete when you made the decision to focus entirely on cross-country mountain biking. What gave you the confidence to walk away from something you already excelled at and start over?
A: It was definitely a leap of faith. Up until that point, I had dedicated most of my training to triathlon and cross-country running. What ultimately gave me the confidence to make the transition was my success in the NorCal High School Mountain Bike League Varsity division, combined with the fact that I found the most joy in mountain biking.
Q: You often speak about your Oneida heritage. Is there one childhood memory that has stayed with you more than any other?
A: Absolutely. I remember my earliest powwow memory was around 6–7 years old. We were visiting family in Wisconsin and were at the annual Oneida Powwow. I remember the opening prayer to the Creator for guidance, unity, and to express gratitude. I also remember jumping at the opportunity to participate in the Intertribal dance. I felt so special to partake in something that evoked such a strong sense of unity amongst everyone, and I was at that age where I was really starting to understand and appreciate the significance of those types of things.
Q: When did you first become aware that many Indigenous youth didn’t have the same opportunities you had, and how did that shape your perspective?
A: The awareness was definitely built over time. Most of my early experiences with reservation life were through the Oneida and Stockbridge-Munsee reservations, both of which are just outside of Green Bay, Wisconsin (Stockbridge about an hour away). Green Bay is a good-sized city, with access to bike shops, programs, and great places to ride, so I wouldn’t say access for the surrounding reservations was too limited. When I was a bit older, I started visiting other reservations in places such as Minnesota for some bike clinics I was hosting, and it was those experiences that really opened my eyes in regards to just how remote some of these reservation lands are and just how limited resources are. When you live hours away from the nearest town/city, access truly becomes so much harder.
Cycling also isn’t the most financially-friendly sport to get into. Bikes and related gear cost money. Programs, clubs, and teams cost money. Training requires a lot of time, effort and overall commitment. The resources really have to be there to make it work.
Q: Through the Dream Catcher Foundation, you’ve created opportunities for Indigenous youth through sport. What does a truly successful day at one of your camps or clinics look like for you?
A: A camp or clinic that runs smoothly, motivates physical activity, and gives youth the opportunity to have fun is the ultimate success in my book. Also, serving inspiration and knowing that you’re having a lasting impact on someone for the better is honestly what makes what we do through our foundation all worth it.
Q: As both an elite athlete and a coach, you’ve experienced sport from both sides. What has coaching taught you about yourself that competing never did?
A: Since becoming a coach I’ve realized just how rewarding it is to help people achieve their fitness and racing goals. My athletes’ success means just as much to me as my own, and knowing that I helped play a part in that success is such a special thing and something I’ll always cherish.
Before becoming a coach, I’d say I didn’t fully grasp just how rewarding helping others achieve their goals would be. This is truly what motivates me to continue my coaching career.
Q: The Dream Catcher Foundation also raises awareness of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls crisis. What first inspired you to make this cause such an important part of your work?
A: The murder of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind of the Spirit Lake Nation was what initially drew me in to learn more about the MMIWG epidemic. The fact that I came across her story in 2020 during COVID, a time where I was spending a lot of time at home and had the extra time to educate myself on this crisis, ignited a fire within to shed light on this crisis that (to this day) is still being swept under the rug by the vast majority of media.
The horrendous details of Savanna’s story will always stick with me, and is a constant motivation for fighting against, and continuing to shed light on this epidemic that most people have never even heard of.
Q: As an Indigenous woman, what does the MMIWG crisis mean to you personally?
A: When I found out (at 26 years old) that Native women face murder rates on certain tribal lands and reservations that exceed 10 times the national average, and that murder is the third-leading cause of death among Native women, I was shocked.
As a Native woman myself, this impact hits close to home, and to be completely honest, I was very disappointed (and maybe even a little embarrassed) that I wasn’t educated about this crisis sooner. The magnitude of this epidemic should have been something I was at least somewhat aware of, despite the fact that I wasn’t raised on a reservation, and the lack of knowledge goes to show the complete underrepresentation of MMIWG in the media.
Q: Since stepping away from professional cycling, how has your sense of identity evolved beyond being an athlete?
A: I decided to step away from professional cycling at the end of the 2024 season. It wasn’t an easy decision to close out that significantly big chapter of my life, but I got to a point where I was content with what I had accomplished in my career, and eager to explore other areas of life.
Cycling has always been a huge part of my life for nearly as long as I can remember, and has given me countless opportunities that have left me more grateful than I can ever put into words. It allowed me to travel the world and meet the most amazing people that have uplifted and inspired me in each step of my journey. There’s no doubt that the sport helped shape me into the person I am today and I’ll be forever grateful for it.
I won’t lie—I often find myself missing the thrill of competition, along with that slightly dazed feeling accompanied by pure exhaustion after a race.
Since retiring, it’s been a fun, yet sometimes tumultuous journey of self-discovery outside of the sport that had been such a huge part of my life since I was old enough to walk. I’ve been fortunate enough to explore content creation, modeling, home projects, travelling (for non-cycling-related reasons), more time at home with my husband, and above all, the sacred role of motherhood.
Since having my daughter in March, I’ve found this renewed sense of purpose—one that doesn’t involve cycling, and the replacement of the piece of my identity I felt like I lost when I stepped away from professional sport. Now, everything I do is for my daughter and carries a deeper meaning. Time is more precious, knowing everything I do will have an impact on this next generation.
Honestly though, deep down I still miss the thrill and suffering that comes with bike racing, so who knows—I may end up stepping back into the racing world very soon.
Q: If you could tell one story that captures the legacy you hope to leave, what would it be?
A: I am so fortunate to have had the platform and resources to host multiple camps and clinics over the years, both on my own and through the Dream Catcher Foundation with my husband.
In 2022, when we hosted a bike rodeo event at the Seneca Nation, we got to talk with the youth about our stories as athletes, and also donate 100 bikes and helmets. Seeing the kids’ excitement when they got to meet us and their ecstatic faces when receiving their bikes was the serotonin booster of a lifetime.
That weekend will forever be one of the highlights of my life and will serve as a prime example of our legacy of inspiring and empowering the next generation.
Photo credit: Kit Karzen
