Originally posted by kunik ha - no offence taken.
its all in the eye of the beholder. I've taken more exciting and more dramatic shots - but this is one that I would call more inspirational. In other words when I see this shot I want to get out and ride. Some other riders I know felt the same way about the shot. I think if you can't relate to the shot (as a rider) then it must look pretty boring. There's a term in MTB called "flow riding" - any mountain bike movie will usually have a segment dedicated to that type of riding and this shot shows that style of riding
This is exactly why I posted the shot here - to see how others saw it. The reaction does not change how I feel about the photo but its always useful to understand the reaction of others to an image.
I think you and you're other riding friends are getting caught up in the perceived moment, it's easily done, you all have a vested interest in the shot, you especially, I suspect you're remembering what you saw in your minds eye before you took the shot.
I'm not really seeing a single compositional element in it, it's quite flat colourwise, the lighting is all over the place and you have blown highlights.
I know where you're coming from, we've all been blinded by one of our own images and gobsmacked by what other people see in it.