Friday, December 9, 2011

Meet the masked man who cycles backwards through Toronto

From the Toronto Star...

Meet the masked man who cycles backwards through Toronto
Published On Wed Jul 6 2011
Liam Casey
Staff Reporter

Everything was backwards on the morning of Aug. 9, 2009. Leslie Slowley's laptop had been stolen the night before - and much of the artist's work was on it.

He thought a trip to the shop where he creates his art would cure the blues. But Slowley's papier-mâché creations, from bowls to masks to unidentifiable pieces, didn't help at first.

Slowley, now 40, needed supplies to keep going, which meant a trip to the local dollar store on his bicycle. So he hopped on his bike and sat on the handlebars facing backwards, like he used to do as a kid, when life was simpler and bike tricks were cool.

He found out they still were. He rode to the store facing the wrong way, with his head swiveling from side to side, straining his obliques to twist and peer ahead. Some bystanders smiled and others waved as he rolled by.

"I loved it. It helped me through a rough time," Slowley said. "And I made a commitment to ride backwards from that day on."

Read on here<http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1020845> and there is a video on the page.

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