Originally Posted by mcjimbosandwich

i believe the CRCA or kissena may host training races in central park and prospect park, respectively. those would be good starts. there's nothing really hard about crits: the key being staying inside when turning & stay at the front, with the latter easier said than done. a road race won't be particularly safer, either. definitely do the group rides & if there are hammering group rides, do those once a week to get a feel for what a race might feel like, but the actual experience will be nothing like the one in a group ride. the one thing you can get from group ride is learning how to hold to a wheel, stay at a safe distance but close enough to draft, slowing without braking or only tapping the brake (aka feathering). protecting your front wheel is one thing that can really prevent you from bad things as the touching of wheels often lead the the rider at the back falling down