Different races emphasize different riders' strengths and abilities. The 3 main disciplines are Climbing, Sprinting, and Time Trialing. While road racing and especially criteriums emphasize going hard, recovering, then going hard again, and doing so repeatedly until the surges and accelerations cause weaker riders to crack, Time Trials emphasize steady power. They are usually less technical races, as well. So bike-handling skills and cornering are not nearly as important.
I know a guy who can't corner worth a damn, and who has great difficulty with repeatedly accelerating to chase breaks or whatever, but he has a huge engine and can hold a very high effort for a long time. TTs are perfect for him. That huge engine doesn't help him nearly as much in a RR because when he tries to go off the front, the rest of the peleton can work together to bring him back. Guys like him need their day to shine, just like anybody else.
Bob