46 cyclists from 20 countries participated in the contest. After the qualifying heats, the fastest 24 riders were to advance to the 1/16 finals.
The first rider in each of the 12 heats advanced to the second round. There was no repechage for this round.
The first rider from each of the six Second Round heats advanced to the Quarterfinals and the second placed riders from a repechage to determine the other two riders that competed the quarterfinals.
The first rider in each quarterfinal advanced to the semifinals and the 4 losing athletes faced a race for 5th-8th place.
The qualifying, first round, second round, second round repechages and quarterfinals took place on 27 March. The Semifinals and Finals took place on 28 March.