21 Cyclists from 15 countries participated in the contest. After the 3 qualifying heats, the fastest 2 riders in each heat advance to the second round. The remaining ones face a first round repechage.
The riders that did not advance to the second round race in 3 repechage heats. The first 2 riders in each heat advance to the second round along with the 6 that qualified before.
The first 3 riders from each of the 2 Second Round heats advance to the Final and the remaining will race a consolation 7-12 final.