Great pose and subtle BG colors, the blur really conveys how much the breaks are being applied! I think it's a nice unique look at a landing, nice composition.
Mike, the vertical comp works very well with the landing pose. The blur conveys the motion nicely but as you self critiqued I would have preferred to see a sharper head and eyes.
I am good with the sharpness but something I do with many blurs is what most people would call over-sharpening, but I like the look. Use a mask and paint selectively and with different intensities or opacity.
Very nice blur here Mike. I agree with Roberts suggestion re: sharpening as I think you can pull more detail out of the head. Nice exposure. Well done.
TFS
Todd