Hi from the Critique Club,
This one caught my eye when looking through the entries. My first thought was that this is the type of picture where a little HDR would bring help bring out detail in the shadow areas.
I like the curves, subtle but certainly present. The warmth of the road contrasts nicely with the cool blue outside. IMHO, what really knocked you down(speculation here ;)) is the way the picture feels very heavy on the right side because of the shadow areas. Just a touch more detail would have improved the picture greatly.
And, maybe the curves were toooo subtle! To bring them more into focus, I suspect a vertical crop would have helped... just keep the middle third of the picture. Personally I don't find the noise to be any big deal.
Keep Shooting!
Mark |