What was that race with a 50 bike pileup at the start line? Red Hook in NY? It looked more like a football scrimmage line.



There are also the randonneur type races and long distance races which may incorporate periods of riding in the dark, sometimes on roads open to traffic.

While reflector tires may not help racing, I doubt they would hurt it either.

The reality is that many bicycles are multi-purpose. I think at least one person commented about riding to the start line of a race.