iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

two years ago this amazing woman and i got together, and it’s been the best two years of my life. here’s to many more adventures

a selfie of gabi and i in cajas national park. we’re both in heavy navy jackets. hardy grass is growing behind us

a selfie of gabi and i in asuncion, paraguay. she’s in a white top, carrying a bunch of flowers and i’m in a y shirt, carrying her black bag. there’s a food festival behind us

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

another year around the sun, and an incredible day out with my love exploring

a selfie of gabi and i with bamboo shoots behind us. gabi is in a white top, teal trousers and a cap, i’m in a black t-shirt

drawings of brazilian flora and fauna cover walls in a museum in são paulo. a set of steps moves down through them

light shines through a white lattice artwork that stands on a mirror

people walk in and out of a covered alley with a sign that reads: liberdade side street. it’s full of japanese street food

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

eeeep! it’s been two years since my last race

the finish line of the vuelta a asturias in oviedo. there’s some old buildings behind and a crowd of people milling around in front

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

here now, anyone got a rough finish time for the vuelta a asturias in oviedo tomorrow? i can find the broadcast times, but nothing more. turns out we’re 30 minutes walk from the finish line…!

a narrow street full of old apartment buildings and shops in oviedo, spain

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

20 months together! and we’re having a lovely time exploring as much as we can of spain

a selfie of gabi and i in valencia. she’s in a yellow top and sunglasses and i’m in a grey top and sunglasses

a tower in a convent that had been converted to a museum in valencia

The Alhambra in Granada seen from a view point. Palm trees are in the foreground and the snow capped Sierra Nevada is behind

another selfie, she’s in a pink top, without sunglasses. i’m somehow in exactly the same clothes. a san miguel lorry is behind us

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

happy valentine’s to my amorcita! we have many more adventures and much to discover about each other to come

a selfie of gabi and i in a park in porto alegre. i’m in a t-shirt and shorts, she’s looking beautiful in shorts, a vest and sunglasses

a selfie of gabi and i outside a pizzeria. there’s two good pizzas in front of us, which is unusual. we’re both wearing black tops

a selfie of gabi and i in an arty restaurant in porto alegre. she’s in an off white top and i’m in a stripey t-shirt. large flowers and leaves are painted on the wall behind us

a selfie of gabi and i under the house of culture in porto alegre. it’s an old art deco hotel, painted an orangey pink. the ground floor of it stretches out behind us

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 12/02/2026

we’re on to gramado, possibly the most german city outside of germany. it’s a romantic place with sights like the fountain of eternal love for us to explore

a selfie of gabi and i beside the fountain of eternal love in gramado, brazil. the edge of the fountain is covered in love notes that people have clipped on. it’s not spraying much water, so the pool is still. behind a large green hedge is a building built in a german style

a german-style stone church is seen through some trees and patio cover. the blue sky is full of fluffy clouds. a red trolley bus is just in front of the church

a vw beetle is parked on a street in gramado. german style chalets are on the edge of the street, and it is lined with trees

statues of jesus’ disciples run along the edge of a pool with small fountains. a green hedge runs behind them and a large building is behind that.

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 28/01/2026

think we’ve bumped into one of the prettiest sunsets on the east coast of the americas

sunset in porto alegre, brazil. the silhouette of a cyclist and some trees on the bank of a huge river. the sun is close to the horizon and reflected in the water, like a narrow cone stretching to the shore. light is bursting through some clouds into the sky

a selfie of gabi and i on the riverside. we’re both laughing. i have a passion fruit juice and she has a cocktail

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

the ecuadorian government doesn’t really have much they can complain about here to be honest, except because they want to be friends with trump

2024 raid on the Mexican embassy in Quito
2024 diplomatic incident between Mexico and
Ecuador
On 5 April 2024, the Mexican embassy in Quito was raided by Ecuadorian police and military forces. Mexico and numerous other countries decried the raid as a violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the 1954 Caracas Convention on Diplomatic Asylum.

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

happy birthday to my beautiful girlfriend! here’s to many more. the iguaçu falls really are everything they’re cracked up to be

a selfie of gabi and i at the iguaçu falls. we’re both a bit wet from the spray. she’s in a white stewpot top and sunglasses, i’m in a navy and orange striped t-shirt and squinting. the falls are crashing all around us

a shot of the iguaçu falls from a distance through the trees. the waterfalls still fill most of the shot. fluffy clouds float in tge blue sky above

a bridge crosses one of the many plunge pools of the falls, closest to the main waterfall. the pool has some green rocks, but is mostly turbulent water

water tumbled over a series of huge waterfalls at iguaçu falls. it’s really hard to describe the scale of it, but it’s larger than you can think of

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

a good example of what deforestation looks like. welcome to the atlantic forest, formerly the second largest rainforest on the planet

green fields stretch out over rolling hills with a few trees spotted here and there. the sky is a bright blue with fluffy white clouds

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 25/01/2026

feel like someone i know should have some help here (i haven’t, for my sins)

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

17 months together, and still very much in love! we’re now deep in gaúcho territory, at the border between brazil, argentina and paraguay. slightly unexpectedly, we spent this anniversary at the region’s chinese buddhist temple with buddha and budai

a selfie of gabi and i in front of a large statue of the sitting buddha, surrounded by smaller golden statues of buddha. gabi’s smiling, and wearing sunglasses and a floral print dress. i’m smiling, and in a black t-shirt with a rucksack on my back

the gardens of the buddhist temple and full of manicured trees and statues. the sitting buddha is in the distance, and a painted buddha (i’m not sure which one this is) is closer to the camera. you can just about see a row of the multiple golden buddhas

a large golden statue of budai, often called the fat buddha, in the temple’s garden, surrounded by manicured shrubs. another stone statue stands to the right. the sky is a bright blue with a single large white cloud

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

i’m going to keep trying to find an interesting ride, but at the minute i’m doing tours of industrial estates and highways. i did bump into a few hills

me smiling in my blue cycling kit. my eyes are half open cause my sunglasses are slotted into my helmet

a white and red truck enters an industrial estate near curitiba

a red road bike leans on some planters at a petrol station near curitiba

my ride today from curitiba to campo magro and campo largo. it reads:

STRAVA
Morning Ride
Distance
100.46km
Elev Gain
1,307 m
Time
4h 8m

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 01/01/2026

feliz ano novo from us, who had a surprisingly quiet but beautiful new year’s in the end

gabi and i take a selfie in our flat. she’s in a white blouse and i’m in a burgundy t-shirt and shorts

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 31/12/2025

we got caught in a storm on the way to see the capybaras, so explored the market and had some amazing lebanese food instead

a selfie of gabi and i in the rain. she’s in a black top and brown shorts and i’m in a burgundy t-shirt. we’re smiling

a wide shot of the city from distance. a small part of the sky is blue, the rest is an angry grey that you can’t see through

the inside of the covered market in curitiba. it’s quite posh and pretty and the food quality looks good

kbbeh, tabbouleh and pita bread, it was good

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 28/12/2025

komoot fail and some proper underbiking. was expecting ~5k of gravel, but that was 10 before i turned off the route for another 6 or 7k of cobbles. i am blistered and bruised. need to work out if every shop is closed on a sunday this week, or every week because i also ran out of water

me smiling in a selfie. i’m in pink cycling kit, with a white helmet that has my sunglasses tucked in. there’s a big lake behind me

the lake at piraqura, curitiba, stretches out to some mountains that aren’t huge. there’s some amazing trees with huge canopies on its banks

a big house on a gravel road. it must be part of a farm, but i’m really not sure. it’s very fancy and covered in decorative details

a red road bike beside some blue flowers that fill the background

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

it’s far too hot (32c) but curitiba is a lovely place to wander through so far, and mi amorcita is the perfect person to explore with

a selfie of gabi and i in curitiba city centre. she’s in a brown dress with sunglasses on her head and i’m in a brown and white stripy t-shirt. there’s some shops behind us

the main square of curitiba old town is surrounded by pastel coloured buildings — yellows blues and pinks. they’re covered in christmas decorations, like wreaths and bunting. the blue building in the centre has a huge bell tower, it looks so top heavy that it could fall over

a sculpture of a horse’s head in a fountain. water falls from its mouth. behind is a square with some trees and an old big house

a pastel blue church and pastel pink building covered in christmas decorations. the sky is blue with some fluffy clouds

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

my bike has finally arrived!

a bike box and pink rucksack lean against a wall in a living room

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

just realised that in portuguese the days of the week are numbered, not named. except for the weekend. and monday is day 2 so day 1 doesn’t exist

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

it is time for us to leave cuenca and start a new adventure together

gabi and i hug in cuenca. she’s in a grey top and jeans, with a navy bag, and i’m in a navy t-shirt and jeans with a black rucksack. there’s some shrubs behind us and a huge palm tree

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Reposted by ben finch

Feargal McKay @cycologies.com · 11/12/2025

"These are not the vaccines you want. I know this because I have a very particular set of skills, that include immunology and how to talk complete crap in a very reassuring tone of voice."

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

you may take the man out of ballymena, but you can’t take ballymena out of the man

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

the pressure’s really on ef to put out the one good kit in next year’s peloton

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

i did think that glider landed a little bit close to the team earlier

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

town’s looking very pretty today

a wider shot of cuenca’s flower market. a lady looks at a bouquet on a stall. a small plaza in front of an old white church is full of these. they’re selling a range of roses, sunflowers and a lot more. they’re selling sky is a soft bright blue

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

suddenly as the riot squad moved in it was raining exclamation marks, nuts, bolts, nails, car-keys. a fount of broken type.

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

i like to think i’m fairly immune to random sponsors’ messages, but “nine minutes of progressive insurance stoppage time” just got me

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

most amusing thing today was the staff’s panic when a very sudden and very loud sex scene came on the telly in the barbers

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 30/11/2025

happy first day of advent, apparently

a horse in a green field on top of a hill under billowing white clouds and blue sky. the hills roll off to the distance cause the picture’s at about 3,000m

a parade of woman dancing in traditional indigenous cañari dress. most of the skirts are knee length and red, white shirts and white straw hats. they’re in town but a big mountain fills the background

two men on horses fly flags. they’re dressed like cowboys, which they may well be. one is carrying what looks like the flag of colombia (in ecuador — the shield might be hidden by a fold)the other is white and green. more people on horseback follow them

a red road bike leans against an old gate that needs some love. green fields stretch out behind it

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 29/11/2025

it might be the restaurant’s fault, but i won’t be recommending guinea pig to anyone. a true once in a lifetime experience. beautiful walk with the excellent company of my girlfriend by the riverside though

a brown horse grazes in a green field surrounded by forested mountains under a blue sky

several guinea pigs, called cuy, roast on a spit

a plate of roasted guinea pig surrounded by other plates of tasteless chicken soup, tasteless boiled white rice, tasteless boiled potatoes and tasteless boiled mote

a selfie of gabi and i standing on a bridge over the river yanuncay. she’s in a blue and white pinstripe shirt and pink top and i’m in a brown and white stripy t-shirt. there’s some small rapids in the water behind us, with green fields and forest on the banks

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

“you can’t park there, sir”

A picture of Kier Starmer behind a podium with the US and UK flags behind him. The Closed Captions read 'there's a famous slogan in the United Kingdom'.

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

london has achieved bogotá levels of cycling

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 22/11/2025

art, coffee and cake with my amorcita, a lovely day all round

gabi and i in a cafe. she’s in dungarees and a black top, and i’m in a yellow t-shirt. we’ve both got big smiles. there’s a bookcase behind us and a multicoloured mural on the far wall that’s out of focus and blown out by the sunlight

the shadow of a hanging wooden sculpture of a woman paddling a canoe, surrounded by fish. the shadow is on a teal wall, like she’s at sea

an americano, espresso and blueberry cake on a table with a yellow chair behind

a miniature sculpture of people watching a protest. the sculpture is set on bricks on the floor. a series of indigenous style heads are placed on bricks behind. paintings and sculptures are on white walls behind

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

ecuador is probably going to move phone driving into the top class of offences soon, which will include jail time on top of a fine

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Reposted by ben finch

James P Bennett @akjpb.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Winter biking in the snow is the best biking!

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

the trick to winter biking is to move to the tropics

the tail of a red road bike standing up at the side of the road. a deep, green valley opens up behind it with mountains riding in the distance. the sky is blue with fluffy clouds

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Reposted by ben finch

Animation Obsessive @ani-obsessive.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Self-replicating cars cause the apocalypse From: Automania 2000 (1963), dir. John Halas, Halas & Batchelor

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Reposted by ben finch

RenateKappes @renatekappes.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

German tourists enjoy cycling on vacation. Something that could be intensified in Ireland. 🇮🇪 🚵🏼‍♀️ bsky.app/profile/benf...

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

question for the bike experts: snapped a spoke at the hub today while climbing in a low gear and sitting. the wheel is new, it has about 1,250km on it. i got it cause the old one was knackered… but on its last ride i also snapped a spoke while climbing, except at the nipple (1/2)

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diminutivefox.bsky.social @diminutivefox.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

Thanks for all your help. You folk have given me so much useful information. Dare I ask indulgence again How do you work this out? That is even before the stem length which nearly f*cked my last purchase. My MTB bars are huge but my CX feels too narrow. Not sure how you evaluate…?

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

universal derailleur hanger you say?

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ben finch @benfinch.bsky.social · 12/11/2025

i always got called dave grohl, jack black and “fucken hippie” cause i had mid-length hair

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