at about 2-4, theres will be like 1 car every 40 mins on the road, compared to the day where its like 1 every 2 secs, its cool in the sense that you think that everybody else has disapeared and for once, i actually feel free.
and those early morning freshly breazes that come from the ocean make it that little bit more interesting and addictive.
I also like taking my 40lb bike and going faster uphill and downhill faster then the ignorant lycra wearing xc geeks. Not saying everyone who wears lycra is a jerk, but the typical lycra wearer's in my area tend to be snobs.
"Favorite Thing About AM Riding?" Everything. A hard climb and a rewarding decent. OR fairly flat trails with slick roots and rocks that keep you on your toes and puncture the XC riders superlight weight tubes.
the fact that it is more of a social ride than a serious one, just training down a fire trail doing whips and tables off everything and roosting all the corners, not really trying just having fun on a bike with a few friends
Using my bike to go further into wild places than I ever could on foot and even better when a few top friends come along . When I think about it that's why I got into MTB in the first place. In the almost 20 years I have been doing it there have been various names for it like :
"Cross country, XC, Freeride, Dual Sport" and a lot of others names that I can't even remember but I think the latest buzzword "All Mountain" sums up best what MTB is all about.
Like yesterdays ride, stunning scenery, awesome riding and good friends: "All Mountain"..........great!
thats a sweet spot, i see like 100 lines all over that thing. most of my AM treks are usually filled with small side lines that are more scary than when i go riding DH, like the big ass roll in, first attempt at a superman seatgrab, 2 wheel slides down a rocky hill at 40k with both feet still on the pedals etc.
The point where you are just getting to the top of a hill and the cranks start getting easier to spin, then flying down the hill using your brakes only when you need to gain control/fix your line. Taking your body and bike to the limit... That's why I love it.