Less than an hour later, the Northern Irishman won the 15km men's scratch race.

BBC: Northern Ireland

Cameron Meyer also added another Australia gold - his third of the Games - in the men's scratch race.

BBC: Commonwealth Games 2010: Houvenaghel wins silver medal

"If selected, I'll be hoping to race in the scratch, points and individual pursuit events, " Thomas said.

BBC: Geraint Thomas (courtesy of Britishcycling.org.uk)

The machines themselves can take anywhere from a few weeks to several years to build, says Elliot Naess, a 10-year kinetic veteran who has built three race-ready sculptures from scratch.

CNN: Art in motion at the Kinetic Grand Championship

And yet, scratch the surface, take the time to get to know somebody else from a different culture, a different race, a different ethnicity, and it turns out that there are hopes and dreams that bind us together.

WHITEHOUSE: Diplomatic Corps Holiday Reception