Mass start events, in which all riders begin their bike race at the same time (sometimes with a handicap) and compete to be the first to reach a predetermined finish point, and time trials, in which individual riders or teams compete against the clock to complete a course, are the two most common types of competitions. In mass start events, all riders begin their race at the same time (sometimes with a handicap).
In the realm of competitive sports, a cycling race is a speed competition in which athletes compete against one another to see who can complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. This is typically in reference to covering a specific distance, but it can also be used to apply to any other activity that requires speed in order to accomplish a particular objective.
Road races normally vary from 30 to 200 miles in length and are subdivided into categories ranging from five (for novice racers) to one (just below professional), giving participants the opportunity to compete against people who have abilities that are comparable to their own. The vast majority of riders, on the other hand, are members of teams that compete against one another and work together during races.