Cycling events, see Post #53 , require a range of specific skills that other activities involving riding a bicycle do not.
One is the ability to ride in a safe efficient paceline, there are a good many others.

To attempt to translate what the experience of training for and participating in competition is for those who do not participate in any discipline of the sport in a few lines on an inter-web forum is futile.
I recommend that anyone who is actually interested in experiencing the sport join a club, get a racing license and have at it. No translation will then be necessary.

To those who aren't interested in the actual experience of Cycling as a Sport I'll take a page from the Harley Davidson crowd's dictum:
"If you have to ask the question you won't understand the answer."

-Bandera