Mountain biking ranked low on the list compared to hiking in
terms of popularity. That is all I was interested in.

But was more popular amongst first time participants and the young ... which means that, over time, it will grow relative to hiking. More people are taking up mountainbiking than hiking.

You remind me of a bulldog that gets hold of some little
thing, however irrelevant, and then wants to hang onto it forever. Notice how I
move on, never stumbling over stuff that doesn't matter.

How does the aforementioned statement not matter Ed ... it directly contravenes your point about mountainbiking going away ... it's growing relative to hiking. The report confirms that there will be more new bikers and less new hikers so, over time, mountainbiking will overtake hiking if that trend continues.

Where are we right now on this thread? I am proving that
mountain biking is not as popular as you think it is and it is also far more
dangerous then you think it is. That is the subject of this thread - the
so-called "joys & pleasures", or is satire wasted on you?

No Ed, you're not proving that. Firstly, I never stated how popular or otherwise it was ... and, frankly, I don't particularly care. You just grabbed a statistic that you thought backed you up but, because you couldn't be bothered to read the rest, failed to notice what I've just pointed out.

Secondly, I already know what the risk is; 0.00123 killed per million miles travelled ... using data from your dear pal Vandeman who has a strong bias against mountainbiking so the real figure is likely significantly lower.

Lastly, for satire to work it needs a common understanding. As I, and many others, genuinely do enjoy the Joys and Pleasures of cycling on trails the irony is lost on us ...