Road racing in its modern form originated in the late 19th century. The sport was popular in the western European countries of France, Belgium, and Italy, and some of those earliest road bicycle races remain among the sport’s biggest events. Regarding the type of the races, we distinguish between single-day and stage races.

Professional race distances may be as long as between 80 and 250 km. Courses may run from place to place or comprise one or more laps of a circuit; some courses combine both, i.e., taking the riders from a starting place and then finishing with several laps of a circuit usually to ensure a good spectacle for spectators at the finish.

A half-stages are when the organizer completes two stages in a single day, usually a shorter time trial and a normal stage between 60 and 80 kilometers.

Individual time trial (ITT) is an event in which cyclists race alone against the clock on flat or rolling terrain, or up a mountain road. In individual time trials, the cyclists start the race at different times so that each start is fair and equal. Race distances vary from a few km to between approximately 32 km and 97 km.

Barnabás Peák on time trial bike

The Visegrad 4 Juniors Nations’ Cup begins with a 95-kilometer stage between Vásárosnamény and Nyíregyháza. The next day there will be two half-stages, firstly in the morning a four-and-a-half-kilometer individual time trial in the center of Nyíregyháza, while in the afternoon a 73.2-kilometer road race awaits cyclists around Ibrány. On the third and closing stage, the caravan rolls again between Vásárosnamény and Nyíregyháza, this time covering 107.3 kilometers.