Actually, although it was a free for all, I enjoyed most “interactions” with the people as they drove by me, often just barely faster than I was riding.  I would frequently make eye contact with hesitant individuals in cars on buses or on the street and flash a smile only to see the excitement in their eyes and get a smile back. 

And the air?  Well, here is a photo from my room before the rain.  (Basically, that’s what it looked like every day that I trained before the race.)

A room with a view? Where is the torch?

Compare to what things looked like after the rain.

That is better.

This is the calm before the oncoming storm of random "vehicles" in the bike lane and the traffic flow from behind.

This was a nice moto...efficient and new.

Minimal Traffic

This guy was well organized and all of his wheels were true.