ECF took the chance to interview two inspirational people at Velo-city: Gil Penalosa and Senator Rodney Ellis. They both managed to wow audiences. 

For those that didn't  to make it to Velo-city Global, Gil Penalosa's opening speech was simply fascinating. (I heard a participant whisper next to me: "Almost every word coming from the man's mouth could be used as twitter gold.")

This man could inspire just about anybody. By the time he'd finished his speech, the room was giving him a standing ovation. 

His message was clear: we need to act, and we need to act now. Not by 2020, not by 2040, but today. 

And it's hard not to agree. 

Take Away Interview with Gil Penalosa

Texan Senator Rodney Ellis also connected with many conference goers. Here we find a politician that actually believes in cycling. He doesn't just pay lip service to cycling but he promotes it amongst the most unlikely people... and he's not afraid to speak up about it. 

"I get as many political leaders as I can on bicycles," he told me. 

And now he's calling on bicycle advocates to run for congress... I simply love this guy. 

Take Away Interview with Rodney Ellis

About the Author

Julian Ferguson is the Communications Officer for the European Cyclists’ Federation. Originally hailing from Australia and a keen bicycle advocate, he plans one day to ride his bicycle from Brussels to Melbourne

 Live Coverage from Velo-city

ECF is reporting this story live from the world’s largest cycling policy in Vancouver, Canada where nearly 1,000 of the cycling world’s best and brightest have gathered for four days to talk cycling. You can read more stories from our Velo-city live page and tweet #velocity2012 to join in the conversation.