photo courtesy sealchallenge.navy.mil.
A Gallup poll commissioned by the US Navy found that mountain bikers (and other “alternative” sports enthusiasts) were more likely to survive the intense training required to become a SEAL. This report comes as the Navy is seeking to shore up the SEAL ranks which traditionally has a 67% training drop-out rate. Other sports participants the SEALs will target include snow boarders, rock climbers, and martial artists.
Clearly mountain biking is a sport that requires both physical and mental endurance and tends to attract the sort of adrenaline junkies the Navy SEALs are looking for. The training is intense but so is completing a dirty century or sessioning a 10-foot drop over and over until you get a clean landing. On top of that, most mountain bikers learn a thing or two about maintaining and repairing critical equipment in the field.
The study also found the best candidates come from the northeast, northern plains, and west coast of the US so don’t be surprised if you see a Navy booth set up at your local MTB race. Makes me feel proud to be a mountain biker!
