Much like a parent might profess their love for all their children equally, we officially profess to love all of our New York City race venues equally. This is in part because early morning circuit races in Central Park or Prospect Park are truly a special and unique experience in their own right. And in part because we know just how much work goes on behind the scenes to make these races happen (seriously, thank you to our race directors!).

But I will also admit to being a crit racer at heart and thus maybe, just maybe, having some slight favorites when it comes to NYC race venues. In the past, this favoritism was directed toward Floyd Bennett Field, the abandoned airfield in Brooklyn that features some of the toughest racing in New York City. Unfortunately FBF racing is on a (hopefully temporary?) hiatus this year. A new venue popped up earlier this year in Queens, but drainage issues on the course made for at times messy racing.

So for my two cents, my new favorite venue in New York City probably sits on the East River: the Randall’s Island Criterium. It’s a simple and mostly flat course with a few fast turns, but the roads are narrow and the wind can blow across the exposed sections in huge guests. In total it is a venue that rewards aggressive racing in a way that the Park based circuit races cannot.

When the winds are blowing and the pace is being pushed, just surviving to the finish can count as a success at Randall’s Island. This past weekend I frankly did not even accomplish that - getting pulled and placed relatively early in the race. But the same fate awaited approximately half of the Men’s P/1/2/3 field, which speaks to just how spicy of a day it was. Despite this, I’ll be back at Randall’s this weekend, partaking in the grassroots vibes and aiming for a better result at my favorite venue in NYC.

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