Riding bikes is priceless. It gives the freedom to move your body at 20 mph for several hours with very little energy. Then the game of racing bikes happened where people wanted to see who's fastest.
The power of road bicycle racing is that it's a very simple game: the person who gets across the finish line first wins. Now there are many variables: who is there, the bike, the wind, who will crash, who will flat, when are attacks going down. And that's what makes it an art. You come to the race being very prepared with impeccable fitness and technique. While at the same time the whole thing is unpredictable.
You actually have skin in the game. Every one of your actions will make or break the outcome of the race, for you or your teammates. All those hours training hard start to materialize. There is no place to hide during a race. Go for the win and you get extra skin: the winner jersey. Eat the pavement and you'll lose skin. Sure you might be exercising today to "stay in shape". Try racing and a whole other purpose takes over: keep skin on.
People say they get high during a race, I certainly do. There is something special when taking a corner at 25 mph while being inches away from each other. The adrenaline rush is there and it can be quite addicting.
Just try it.