Lack of friends is why I Mountain Bike. Prior to trail riding, I spent a decade whitewater kayaking. I had several friends, but two in particular made up my safety triad. One (a female), got mad at me for getting married and bailed, and the other, my best guy friend moved to Alaska. I tried to get another group back, but I could not find the connections.
I have had the same problem biking. Either they act like there is a prize at the end and everything is a competition, or they bike like they are in a park on a mup. So, I decided that the thing that causes me the most smiles is mildly technical (stress mild) and fast flowing single track in the woods and i have weighed the risks and understand that I may become a statistic someday, but with cell service and texting and some planning and caution it has not been a problem YET!
And to ride on pavement is like watching grass grow to me. I don't care how fast or how far, just how many smiles I can find.