iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

I added the Japanese Crane bell to my c/gobike. It's loud enough to be heard but has a sympathetic tone so as not to be interpreted as aggressive or threatening. I have a flat deck tarpaulin but rarely use it, preferring the rain cover. Depends on my cargo

Reise und Muller Packster 70 cargobike fitted with rain cover.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

The hospital tours were before I left for summer vacation and as soon as I got back. No escaping oncology hell.

Overlooking a mountain pass in Austria with my little guy. Saw so much fauna and flora that day up the Geisterberg resort area

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 05/08/2025

I went somewhere very similar last week in Austria. The Lichtenstein Klamm. Loved it. The torrential rain on the way back to the car in the parking lot took some very deliberate smiling to get through but fortunately my fam kept their disapproval to themselves.

Family of four pose in front of a rusted iron picture frame with a ravine set behind them, including a waterfall

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

Inspired to see these dedicated cargobike parking spots at a sportscentre here in Dūsseldorf, Germany 🇩🇪 There's no denying that these bikes have a huge footprint on the pavement but compared to how much roadspace they take compared to one of these monsters, they are superb!

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

Many many happy hours racing on this one. All scratches were my fault apart from the ones that weren't. Got to use a bike for what it was designed to be best at, not just for looking at as a possession

An S-Works Tarmac AL7 race bike propped up, laden with two full bidons, ready for a day of following the Ronde Van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) race route. This stop just a kilometre from the renowned Koppenberg climb.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 22/05/2025

Front wheel hooks can get a lot of bikes vertical, & side by side. As long as the bike is not too heavy, it's a fairly convenient solution. My favourite "Quick, let's go biking" option was the wall hanger. You need high(er) ceilings for this to work well & a community/wife who loves you > Feng Shui

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

I have a life goal to ride more kms by bike than I drive each year. 2024 I achieved 13K kms on bikes vs 3.4K kms driving. My old engine is clapped out but I recommend this goal as a challenge to offer your friends. So many smiles and health achievements along the way...

Stupid faced man peering upwards, acknowledging the sign behind that reads "Car is Over!" which is a safe thing to proclaim in a bike show but still very controversial in car-worshipping Germany

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

One area of life made a little simpler by having a brain tumor (really scraping the barrel for positives on this one!).

Head and shoulders shot of a Bald headed guy in aero bike racing suit against a plain wall, arms folded, straining out a smile

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

If ever I thought I was near my stress limits, I suspect I would deflect the anxiety into a more 'normal' activity 🤭

Bike racer covered in mud, with a faint unconvincing smile on his face, his right arm raised with a closed fist, just about managing to be at eye level, having crossed the finish line of a race. He's happy to be finished but isn't yet sure if a part of him died in the last 7 hours on the course. Less than 4 months after the race he found out he had a massive brain tumour that could have featured as a negative performance factor on race day. The grimace of a smile is very apt.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Normal? Wünschenswert? Hätte Ihnen so etwas als Kind beim Überqueren einer Straße Angst gemacht?

A gigantic SUV with a tall front grill, making it almost impossible for a driver to see the young child in front of it. This truck is parked up and already looks highly intimidating. The photographer could have emphasized this even more by moving the camera down to the eye level of the child.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Nope. I'm grateful for the German Healthcare system which is keeping me alive with many, many drugs at what I suspect is an enormous cost. "Stupidity" needs to be bounded by "available options". Medical Bankruptcy is a huge factor in American life. I wouldn't blame victims of a hostile system.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Wimp! I don't think so. 🫵🏼👏🏼 I can ride my bikes over the highest mountains on the hottest days (tough on one level maybe) but put me near cold water & my heart freezes inside myself. I'm very impressed that you can even contemplate willingly bathing in Scottish coastal water. Not built for that! 😱

Male cyclist standing/leaning against his sports bike in a car park with a wilted palm tree and rough, dry landscape in the background. He looks a bit hot and fatigued. Taken in Saudi Arabia.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Fleher Brücke to the south of Düsseldorf, crossing the mighty River Rhein, completed 1979. Excellent separation of cyclist and pedestrians from the autobahn traffic.

Photo of the Fleher Bridge taken from the bike lane. Large steel continuous barriers provide security for cyclists and walkers from the fast moving traffic. The supporting suspension cables connecting to one main 'tuning fork' tower make pleasant symmetrical patterns and are brightly painted

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

me a life-saving resilience. I had two defibrillations, a blood pressure of 240 on discharge, sepsis and a two week unplanned coma. I realised all my training made me fit and mentally strong but never imagined this area of benefit. I'd conclude that almost all training is worth it in the end.

Head and shoulders shot of a male cyclist post race in black and white, strong contrast, with a pained expression. His face has large amounts of dirt/dust on it

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

Why? Would you prefer to see your roads clogged up with these people/environment killers instead?

Gargantuan Dodge RAM truck parked on kerb, with small girl stood in front of it, her head only just as high as the headlight on the truck. Any collision between these two is going to have one predictable ending.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 24/03/2025

<le sigh> I feel like I have accumulated 30 years of ageing in the 18months since that photo was taken. I don't know if this was a warning or a prophecy?!? #BrainCancer #Glioblastoma

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

Does this visual perspective help? I was diagnosed with a GBM brain tumour in early November and this is what is left after surgery. That back hole is above my right eyeball is the place where Executive Functions are usually carried out (weighing things up, making decisions). My head is a mess.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

Try injecting these brass bull testes... I'm sure it would be way less dangerous than attempting the same with a Hippo (great thread btw, very unexpected information). Overcoming ignorance is fun 🤗

Close up of a brass statue of a bull in Spain. Emphasis is on the massive, pendulous Scrotum.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

I just looked up POTS. Wow. Such a condition with almost invisible symptomology for bystanders to get a handle on. That must be an uphill battle. I was diagnosed with terminal brain tumors in the last few months. On the surface I seem normal but at least I can point to before & after images/surgery

Two brain scans side by side. One from before the brain resection in operation showing the GBM-4 tumor and the scan on the right is the post operative result. The large black hole in the brain is the most eye-catching part of the image, accounting for a loss of maybe 15-20% of the right hemisphere (original image is reversed as the black hole looks to be on the left).

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

Looking back, those childhood patterns became determinants for older life. I still feel like that inner 8 yo guides my way. I have to pretend I'm an adult and I feel most alive when I'm risking it all on two wheels. 😆

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

This was the smell of my childhood. Blood on clothing, ridiculously dangerous ramps, everything to grab a girl's attention.

Young boy, probably 4-5 years old, colours and clothing suggest early 1970s, riding a bike over a ramp in front of a group of slightly older boys. The risk of failure and being laughed at are palpable but in this kid's head, there is glory to be attained.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

Even in Belgium we recognise the contribution to economic justice that Leopold II made. Trump wants a legacy of fealty and being adored. History has a way of judging actions that you can not control. www.ft.com/__origami/se...

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

Add on top of that a huge brain tumour that has gobbled up the Executive Function area of your brain. That's what I'm dealing with. 💩

MRI scan results side by side on a computer screen showing before and after of brain surgery. It's immediately obvious that large part of the right hemisphere has been taken away

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

What we see here in Germany. The act of wanting to re-write maps is such 15-19th century thinking. Domination, possession, conquering, one nation's desires can be upheld by force, rather than building coalitions of common interests. Trump is a dinosaur imposed on all of us. Be better America!

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

I was a bike whippet and loved hill climbing. Triathletes generally hate getting their heart rates high because they're aiming for steady effort. It's impressive when anyone challenges themselves to go against the ease of the normative "do it by car" option. Not many can grab a KOM but that's fine

Spanish town in Malaga region featuring a steep
Hill to get into and out of town. If I remember correctly it had an average gradient of 15%.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

Düsseldorf sports centre. Such a pleasing sight to see.

Six dedicated cargobike parking bays in an underground car park

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

My best car. It gets to carry two kids to and from school, is quick and easy to park and then I can get a week's worth of groceries inside it. The bike itself weighs 42kgs, has a 7,5KwH battery that I only charge once a week (travelling 110kms). I benefit from half decent cycle infrastructure here 🇩🇪

Reise und Muller Packster 70 cargobike with rain cover fitted for kiddie comfort in the German winter. This bike has all the cargo space in front of the rider which gets it the generic nickname "Long John" although I call it "Carrie"

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

This was me doing my last race before receiving my diagnosis for terminal brain tumors. I don't know what the future holds but I suspect the opportunity/cost of race fitness vs quality time with my family means there will be a lot less training happening. If I am a long term survivor, who knows...?

Man carrying bike over shoulder during a cyclocross race, running down a sandy slope

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

A girl should always handle her old "piles" with great care. Professional help is recommended.

A woman's hands holding a selection of old domestic batteries. It's a word play joke. "Piles" is the French word for batteries and makes an amusing crossover with the English slang word for Haemmorhoids. It's not so funny typed out.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

My current steed post brain surgery.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

No more TT racing so I sold this one to get the CX bike instead. I never really loved that one.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

For taking Cross quite seriously

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

My favourite bike, set up for a day of beasting myself on the Flemish bergs #RVV Specialised Tarmac SL7

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

For when the weather's unbearable or you just need to smash out some intervals that would probably be dangerous on the road.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

Quick grab from the garage bike when you don't want to fret too hard about it being stolen. Canyon Roadlite AL8.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

My family car/shopping bike. I'd snapped the drivebelt 30 minutes beforehand. Very inconvenient but it was repaired under warranty.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

Gravel racing on a CX bike. Went through two sets of pads and a chain that day. Just gloopy mud for 6 hours. Not much fun.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

Last winter. Not been able to ride this winter and we've only had a light dusting of snow that lasted a few hours... Grip levels are surprisingly good!

Cargobike parked up and getting covered in snow

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 31/12/2024

New glasses helped a bit and the headaches receded slightly. My wife asked if I'd hit my head recently and I could thinks of an incident that might have caused a mild concussion so I went to the ER room at hospital where they had a neuro unit and scanners. That's when they found this.

An MRI scan of a brain revealing a huge brain tumour

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 21/12/2024

Can you even spot where the titanium plate went?

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 21/12/2024

What can I say... brain surgery and comas suck. But I'm still alive thanks to a team of incredible medics. My wife tells me that at one moment in my operation there were 5 Professors working on me.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 08/11/2024

Does anybody here know who is the patron saint of Neurology? I wondered if it was worth keeping a foot in each camp... [Please pre-load <Cynicism> before reading this question] 😌

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 31/10/2024

I wouldn't describe myself as having a spider fascination but I'm impressed by many things about them. How much effort is put into creating fragile webs. How the females are willing to kill and eat the males (an interesting reversal of Homo Sapien behaviours). 8 eyes and limbs.

High contrast black and white image of a hairy spider on parquet wood grain flooring.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 31/10/2024

Something something witty also with matching silicon butt orifice. The man imagines he's attractive. I think he's tough on the eye, weak-hearted, 100% fake in the mismatch between his perception of the world & the harshness of reality. It's rumored that he stinks, has a little button 🍄‍🟫 of a knob

Donald Trump with patchy orange make up and a mouth wide open, like some sort of living sex doll. Probably aimed at some weird fetish sub-cluster, the sort of people Trump was happy to hang out with. He's grotesque inside and out.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 31/10/2024

Marvellous image. Thanks for sharing. I got one similar outside my house about a month ago.

Little spider in the centre of its web, photographed at night. The web is attached to a garden lamp (unseen here) but the light is illuminating the spider and web, giving it a ghostly silvery glow. The spider looks poised to pounce.

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 23/10/2024

Yep. If I'm carrying then I'm doing it securely (no gun jokes implied).

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Tricky Dicky @trickydickybe.bsky.social · 23/10/2024

I did some experimenting with aero drink packs on long gravel races this summer. It was too time consuming to stop to wash and refill bidons. It was really welcome to sip at any moment of thirst. 3L in that sac 👍🏼

Male bike racer with white helmet, reflective lens sport glasses and mud on his face. Bright red race jersey with two flou yellow webbing straps holding a drink bladder rucksack. Race podium in the background. Photo from Houffalize in Belgium.

Same drink bladder rucsack draped over handlebars of cyclocross bike, handlebar resting on top of a metal crowd barrier. Race support vehicle in background with advertising text of "Caffeine Rac" visible.

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