Bike races come in many different shapes and sizes, and are put on for many different reasons. You have events which have existed for almost as long as the sport of cycling itself - the monuments, the Grand Tours - continue because they have always done so, because they are so integral to the season, such iconic events.
Then you have the races which are, in effect, warmup races to these: the Critérium du Dauphiné for the Tour de France or Dwars door Vlaanderen for the Tour of Flanders. Of course, these are fantastic races in their own right, but this is their place in the calendar.
