The edit is all based on the medium you're putting this into. If it was a newspaper, I'd say #2 because of the dot gain value of a 20 percent increase in the black plate. If it is for web-only applications, lighten #1 up by another 5 percent through the curves tool and call it a day. Also, you could use some masking on the rider who has some visible features on his face to bring out at least a sense of his face (which is a bit more visible in #2); you've got some ghosting around both riders caused by the dust getting picked up by the sensor on your DSLR.