LE PECQ – A late draft to the Tour de France, Neilson Powless didn’t have time to scramble together a turtle necklace, the spirit animal of his Native American tribe, or paint one of their wampum bead belts on the frame of the bike that he's ridden for three punishing weeks, over 3,300 kilometers (2,000 miles) of roads.
But although unable to carry the Oneida Tribe’s symbols with him, the Tour rookie has become a powerful symbol himself as the first tribally recognized Native North American to have raced in the 117-year-old event.
Not only has Powless survived cycling's greatest and most grueling race, he distinguished himself in a crop of exciting young talents who helped set this Tour alight.