hey, thanks very much for posting this. very enjoyable. i've been biking for many, many years, but only got interested in racing recently. in fact, this very race here was one of only a couple i've attended. i definitely learned a lot watching it from the inside.

i heard that this particular course, Walnut Hill Park in New Britain, CT, was specifically designed for critierium racing, and is exactly one mile. it was built in 1870s or so, and was park designer Frederick Law Olmstead's first commision, before he went on to do NYC Central Park among other projects.