I think in my early biking days anyone with an interest in bikes wanted to be around other people and events that had to do with cycling. So a bike race would draw a lot of bike enthusiasts. And then the race also gave you a destination to ride to. I suppose thats another related topic. Most people in my youth who were into cycling didnt have a car or were too young to drive. Our bikes were our main transportation. Seensvto be very little interest in cycling amongst the youth today, where in my day a lot of teens rode bikes for transportation and fun, some even took up racing. Yeah, pretty much anyone over 25 years of age that rode a 10 speed bike was kinda odd. Definitely a different societal dynamic.