Road cycling races are one of the oldest events in cycling history, and they became an official Olympic event in 1896. Road cycling races are similar in nature to marathon races in athletics, as both require athletes to have endurance. Official road cycling races are typically over 200 km long, and athletes must compete on the road for several hours. Therefore, support vehicles are provided by the organizers to provide maintenance support, as well as to supply food and drinks to the athletes during the race.

Moreover, air resistance has a significant impact on cyclists, so cyclists usually do not want to lead the race casually during the competition. Cyclists typically appear in small groups and take turns leading to preserve their energy for better results.

In addition to individual road races, individual time trials are also a formal event in road cycling, but the competition format is different from that of individual road races. The starting order for individual time trials is different from that of road races, with each athlete starting every minute. The winner is determined by the shortest time to complete the same distance. However, if a cyclist catches up with another cyclist who started earlier, the distance between them must not be less than 2 meters, to prevent the leading cyclist from acting as a windbreak. Therefore, individual time trials can directly showcase the true strength of cyclists.