The result of the race proved Louis Bastien of France to be the top long-distance cyclist present, while Lloyd Hildebrand finished in second and Auguste Daumain in third.

One of the contestants, Louis Trousselier, would go on to win the 1905 Tour de France.

[1] From 1896 to 1924 (excluding 1912, when no track events were held), the track cycling programme included events at a variety of distances that changed from Games to Games and ranged from the 1⁄4-mile to the 100 kilometres (and, even longer, the unique 12 hours race in 1896 that saw finishers exceed 300 kilometres).

Louis Bastien was the favorite, having won the 100 kilometres world championship, with John Henry Lake (the sprint bronze medalist) and Lloyd Hildebrand also expected to do well.

The track was 500 metres in length, so there were 50 laps.