Mike has a survey that is asking why people didn't sign up. Maybe you can reach out to him and fill one out with info that you'd like the date moved.
I think part of what happened here is long-term and part is more specific to this year. The weather this year has been awful, and a lot of people may not be thinking of racing at all yet. But then I think there is also the possibility that this is a continuing trend and XC and even endurance racing in general are declining because it's just too much of a hassle for promoters and racers. A lot of events have disappeared from the calendar over the last few years, and even those that haven't are not getting the numbers anymore. Why would promoters put themselves out there for small fields that barely cover costs? I think we've seen a growth in MTB "festivals" - the crowds are going to these places where they can demo bikes and hang out on casual group rides with friends. People have limited time to give, so they're choosing to use it for those type of outings rather than racing. Makes sense.
Personally, I have no interest in overcrowded festivals that put tons of riders on limited trails moving along at leisure pace. I'd rather just go find my own adventures. I'm thinking right now that I may do something like that rather than try to find other races. I may just hop on my bike and go exploring for a bit with the time off I reserved for TSE. I had a lot of fun riding solo from DC to Pittsburgh in October, and there are plenty of rides like that all over the country. And I've been eyeing up the possibility of doing one long "hit 'em all" ride for the trail systems in my region for a while now. I could basically start from my house and keep spiraling outward to hit everything from Wiss to Blue Marsh to Fair Hill in one big multi-day bikepacking excursion. Or maybe something else. I don't know. At the moment, though - and I'm sure this is largely just disappointment talking) I'm kind of thinking that the juice might not be worth the squeeze for continuing organized racing. There's a lot of other ways to get my fix that don't rely on other people wanting the same experience.
