I really don't understand why you and others are so focused on if they had a deal and what kind of deal they had.

Let's assume for a moment they had the most locked kind of deal. The kind you can't get out of without significant money loss that people seem to point out IM should have had.

You then discover the community doesn't want the race. What do you do? Do you run the event anyways? How do you find the volunteers? What if the locals don't collaborate and stage protests? Occupy the road? What if you never get the permits ever again beyond whatever was in that "deal"? (Meaning no more IM beyond 2023?)