SB Nation User Blog: KevinK

I am a new fan of...

KevinK — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:34:17 -0000

I vowed to limit my Olympics viewing to a bare minimum. 1. because I watched the whole TdF from beginning to end. I even watched some stages more than once. That's just a crazy amount of time spent in front of the TV. and 2. the commercial aspect of the games generally turns me off.

However, the HD coverage sucked me in, and I've been bouncing from event to event, and have been enthralled by some sports I was only dimly aware of.

For example, I'm hooked on handball--lots of action and speed and some mild violence.

How about you? Any sports that are "new to you" that are stealing the hours away from your life?

On the flip side, there are some events that don't seem to belong in the olympics. Air rifle? If that's an olympic sport, I hope darts is too.

There's no hope: Racewalker banned for EPO

KevinK — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:44:40 -0000

From Xinhuanet:

Former Chinese Olympian race walker Song Hongjuan was busted for EPO.

According to the Chinese Athletic Association's website, the 24-year-old race walker, who placed 14th in the women's 20 kilometers walk at the Athens Olympic Games four years ago, tested positive for erythropoietin at a competition here in February.

Apparently, according to CNBC, some Russian race walkers have been banned, too.

If race walkers are doping, can there be any hope for clean sports? The short answer is no.

Thanks to Versus

KevinK — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 16:34:22 -0000

To The Producers of the Tour de France on Versus, and to Phil, Paul, Bob, and Craig,

Thank you for the beautiful coverage of the Tour de France again this year. For Americans, Versus is our pipeline to this great event.

The live coverage is incredible. This is the first year that I've had the free time to watch from the rollout of the first stage through the podium presentation on the Champs. There is no other event like this, and no other sports show that comes close to the epic scope of your Tour production.

I can only imagine the logistical difficulty of following the Tour around France for a month, while being away from friends and family.

I hope Versus continues to cover the Tour in the years to come, and that you're able to broaden and deepen your coverage of this spectacle.

Thanks again,

Kevin

If you've been a cycling fan in recent years, you've probably longed to serve up a cock punch or...

KevinK — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:35:25 -0000

If you've been a cycling fan in recent years, you've probably longed to serve up a cock punch or two to various riders, team directors, or bureaucrats in the sport. This video shows what it's all about.

Replace the Carbon Bits

KevinK — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 01:05:55 -0000

George Hincapie's crash in the 2006 Paris-Roubaix was something straight out of most cyclist's nightmares. Sudden failure of a critical component. A sudden loss of control. Nothing to do but crash.

This is my third season racing my Litespeed Sienna. It's got about 10,000 miles on it and has been through 30-40 races. I planned to replace the fork, stem, and bars sometime this season, but didn't think it too urgent.

I'm sure you can guess where this is going. I was racing today. I got up out of the saddle to crest a little rolling hill and the bars (Mantis ITM) snapped in half and down I went one instant later. Luckily it was a low speed crash and I am only a little bruised and banged up.

Consider this a PSA. If you're wondering about the age of some vital components on your bike, replace them!

Also, this was another instance where my helmet saved my brains from any damage. The rear of my helmet is bashed up and scuffed, but my head is fine.

The Kneehab Diaries

KevinK — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:44:51 -0000

This is the last of the kneehab diaries. I'm writing this up for other unlucky cyclists who break their patella. Unfortunately, it will probably be pretty useful! Broken kneecaps seem to be a common cycling injury.

A short recap (long version here): I was in a car accident in early January. I broke several ribs and fractured vertebrae, and my kneecap broke into three pieces. It was surgically repaired immediately after the accident. I've been in physical therapy since late January, and just started riding on the road again (the first road ride of the season was March 13, 2008).

I was allowed to ride again starting in March. Last March (2007 season), I rode a total of 18 hours and burned 12,500 calories. This March, following the knee injury, I managed to ride a little over 6 hours, and only burned 2,700 calories.

During March (3 months after the accident and knee surgery) I basically started to explore the limits of my knee pain, leg strength and endurance. I found that I could really work my bad leg on flat stretches of road. My good leg did almost all the work on climbs. That really limited the volume of hours I could ride, since I would become exhausted after 90 minutes to 2 hours.

I was not able to stand up out of the saddle and pedal until March 30. I still can't really push hard when I get out of the saddle, now (April 11).

By the end of March, I was back into my "normal" training routine. The snow on the one flat stretch of asphalt near my house finally melted, and I was able to work the bad leg a lot harder by doing intervals and focusing on my pedal stroke.

Now by mid April, I am completely back into the swing of the cycling season. My weekly training volume and intensity is comparable to last season. I actually managed to hang in the "B" field of my local training race and even took turns on the front chasing down a breakaway. Several of my peer riders were dropped!

Of course, my fitness is considerably diminished from last season (down about 33%), but it's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It's improving quickly, and I have some new secret weapons in the training tool kit thanks to my physical therapist.

I still have lingering issues with the knee, namely pain when it's held in a bent position for longer than 20 minutes or so, and still have a couple of sessions of physical therapy left. But I should be done with this chapter of my life this by May at the latest.

If you're currently sitting in a recliner with your leg in a brace, possibly dozing and drooling all day long, and your bike is gathering dust don't be too worried! I went from sitting in a recliner 24 hours a day, barely able to move to racing in less than 4 months.

Cycling After a Knee Injury

KevinK — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 03:14:31 -0000

Disclaimer
No medical professionals contributed to this article. If this article provokes questions about your injury or treatment, ask your doctor.

I had a car accident about three months ago. I broke several ribs, fractured some vertebrae, and shattered my kneecap. One of the first things I did after getting home from the hospital 2 days later was to Google for "cycling after a knee injury". I found some useful information, but it wasn't as specific as I'd hoped.

So I started taking detailed notes during my recovery, and am writing them up here to give other poor folks who end up in the same situation a better idea of what to expect.

My Cycling Background and General Level of Fitness Prior to the Crash
I am a 36 year old middling Cat IV cyclist. I raced about 40 times during each of the past two seasons, and logged about 4000 miles. At the peak of the season, I do about 15 hours a week. During the winter months, I get about 5 to 8 hours of cardio cross country skiing or riding my cross bike in the snow.

The longest training rides I do during the season are about 85 miles. A typical training ride is 30 to 40 miles.

I've been using a power meter to track my fitness over the past couple of seasons and was kind of obsessed with measuring my aerobic threshold, so I have some good data for early season numbers, and an estimate for my fitness at the end of last season.

In 2006, my threshold power was about 320 Watts. At the end of last season it was about 380 Watts. That might sound good, but I weigh in at 100 kg, so it's never enough!

Injury Details
I didn't lose consciousness and didn't suffer any head or neck injuries. The left side of my rib cage whacked against the door and I cracked several ribs, and punctured my lung. My pelvis stretched the lap belt and slipped under the steering wheel and airbag and my back muscles fractured the transverse processes of my vertebrae in my lower back. Something bashed my kneecap and broke it into three pieces and opened the skin up.

On the x-ray, the knee break was "clean". It looked like someone chopped it with a hatchet. So the surgeon was able to reconstruct it neatly with three screws.

When I left the hospital, my bad leg was in an immobilizer. I could walk on crutches, but could not bend the leg at all.

Month One: Recovery from Trauma
After the accident, recovering from the trauma was my number one concern. The ribs and back were painful. The knee didn't hurt. The punctured lung was no biggie. I did the breathing exercises I was ordered to do and after a week it was fine. During the first week, I basically slept 20 hours a day and tried to avoid moving.

On the third day, I started to explore my limits. I could walk with crutches fairly easily. I could do toe raises. I could shower and take care of my most basic needs without assistance. I could barely bend or twist my torso.

Even though I was jacked up, I made a feeble attempt to get some exercise. I tried to walk around for ten or twenty minutes at a time, and I could at least do toe raises to keep my calves in shape. I did two sessions per day.

A word of caution, if you suffered trauma and blood loss like me, be careful. If you start sweating uncontrollably and get super thirsty, you are about to faint. Sit down or get horizontal. You don't want to faint while standing, or seated on a precarious perch, like a doctor's exam table!

By the end of the first month, my ribs and back were healed. One morning I was able to sit up in bed without pain. I also started physical therapy that week.

Month Two: Regaining Range of Motion and Muscle Tone
The surgeon removed the immobilizer and bandages from my knee five weeks after the accident and the surgery.

My quad was GONE. It was reduced to a blob of jelly. It was smaller than my knee. My knee was swollen and angry looking. I got a new brace that was slightly less bulky than the immobilizer, but my leg would still be locked in extension for another month.

I started PT the same day. The doctor limited my exercises to calf work, and isometric muscle flexing. I was not allowed to put a load on my knee, but I could work on range of motion while sitting.

I was thrilled. Finally, I was working my way back toward riding. In spite of my enthusiasm, I couldn't even contract my muscle during the first session until the therapist zapped it with electrical current. Once it "woke up" I was able to start contracting it harder and harder. I could only bend the knee 60 degrees (out of 120). Swelling and fluid in the joint limited the motion.

I got into a good routine with therapy three times a week, and I did my exercises three times a day. I also iced and elevated the leg if I wasn't my PT drills.

I gained 3 to 5 degrees of "motion" per day. But after several days, I realized there were really two ranges of motion. The "Extreme" range and the "comfortable" range. The extreme range of motion expands from day to day, but the joint still feels tight over much of that range. Then a few days later, some fraction of the extreme range of motion feels "comfortable". For me, I got to 90 degrees pretty quickly, but the comfortable range lagged by about 30 degrees.

The limiters of the motion shifted around from day to day. One day, the lower part of my knee hurt. One day, the muscles just above the knee hurt. I generally pushed the leg to bend just past the point of pain and held it for a few seconds.

I was also going to the gym three times a week to lift weights and do some awkward cardio. I continued my normal cycling weight routine as much as possible with just my left leg. I was able to use the elliptical trainer with my brace on.

By the end of the second month, I was feeling almost normal. I had full range of motion, though the comfortable range was considerably smaller and I could at least see my quad muscle, though it was a fraction of its former size.

Month Three (now): Back on the Bike! Learning to Walk.
At the start of the third month, I went back for my second follow up exam and xrays. My knee looks "normal". No swelling. The range of motion was only a couple of degrees shy of full, though it was still tight at the extreme end. The xray showed that the bone wasn't 100% fused, but good enough to ditch the brace, to drive a car, to walk, and to ride! But not good enough to lift weights, yet.

The first week I was not 100% confident in the knee, so I was very cautious about everything. I had a pronounced limp. I could not go up or down stairs with weight on the bad leg.

I was able to ride the trainer, though. It felt great! The remaining stiffness in my knee vanished. My "spin" was ruined, and there was some pain in the joint for the first couple of sessions. I was not able to ride out of the saddle at all. I took the first week to explore how hard I could push it.

The second week, my gait was returing to "normal". I had settled into a routine with my newer physical therapy exercises, and was ready to try riding on the road.

First Rides on the Road
I planned to play it safe on the first ride. Any sign of trouble and I'd go back home.

I rolled out the driveway and started for the open road. There's a short steep climb out of my neighborhood onto the main road. I usually fly up that out of the saddle to get the blood pumping. I muscled up the hill with my good leg and just used the bad leg to push through the dead spot in my stroke. It was easy! Easier than walking! I was thrilled and put in a rolling 8 mile test ride. No problema! A day later, I did a 20 miler. This coming weekend, I'll do a 40 mile ride.

Cycling is great for rebuilding the muscle, because I can perfectly modulate my efforts so the muscle and knee are working at 100% of what I can stand, no more, no less, for several hours.

Conclusion: Fitness Loss and Plans for the season
On the 20 mile ride, I hit a long gradual climb as hard as I could. 250 Watts. Ugh. That's weak. I would not be able to race right now. I am guessing it will be another 8 weeks before I can hang out at the back of the field in a flat race. It will probably be several months before I can compete at the level I was at last season.

In the early season, I'm just going to do the easy races on the local schedule and hang out in the field. I'm planning to work my ass off to try to compete in the July and August races, and put more effort into cyclocross season than I normally do.

Epilogue: Could've Died-itis
I was lucky in many respects. I have good health insurance. My employer backed me 100%. I doubt I will have any lingering physical effects from these injuries.

I was really positive and upbeat while I was recovering--I had a goal and I was pursuing it with all my energy. When the brace came off, I was euphoric for a couple of days, but crashed into a black mood for about a week.

I've named these mood swings "could've died-itis". An event like this crash is a slap in the face from the universe. A few more miles per hour, or a different angle here or there and I'd be dead. While I was recovering, I had the distinct sense that my life would change drastically once I recovered.

Of course, when I got back into my pre-crash routine, except for a new car and a slight limp, nothing changed! But after a life changing event like this, normal just isn't possible, and every day brings an armload of questions stemming from this existential crisis.

Torri talks to Jesus

KevinK — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:21:53 -0000

Jesus Manzano, that is. Recall that Manzano has accused Valverde of using Testosterone:

From June 07, 2007 Cycling News:

Alejandro Valverde "took the same stuff that they gave me," said his former Kelme teammate Jesus Manzano. He gave a concrete example in an interview with the German magazine Stern, saying "I remember an evening after one of the Vuelta stages in 2002. Valverde came to dinner with a testosterone plaster on. After an hour he ripped it off, otherwise he would have been tested positive."

According to the cycling news blurb, Ettore Torri interviewed Manzano about Operation Puerto. It's been about two years (May 2006) since OP broke. The wheels of doping justice are slow to roll. Will Valverde get nabbed by an Italian prosecutor?

Blogging the Olympics--sort of

KevinK — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:12:55 -0000

Cue the fanfare music... Dim the stadium lights. Ok, ok, launch the doves, LAUNCH THE DOVES! Cue the interpretive dancers... Bring out the elderly 15th duchess of Craptenstein. The IOC has an announcement to make.

From: Linky here

In a series of guidelines, the IOC said blogging would be allowed during the Beijing 2008 Olympics as long as individuals writing the journals keep within the IOC format.

"The IOC considers blogging... as a legitimate form of personal expression and not a form of journalism," the IOC said.

Blogging is only "personal expression", which can be squashed to stroke corporate overlords, and placate communist dictators.

[editor's note, by chris] Anyone going to Beijing? The Cafe is HUGE in China. Also, contact me and I'll help find some anti-CCP websites you should be sure to access while on premises.

Update [2008-2-17 12:16:58 by chris]: Does anyone else think this is a ploy by the locals to control content? "Here, use our T1 line. Oh, and if the cursor starts moving when you're not touching anything, don't worry, it's nothing."

How To: Live Audio Race Commentary

KevinK — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 23:39:02 -0000

VideoLAN (aka VLC) is the open source (free) swiss army knife of media streaming and transcoding. It runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux. It's indespensible for a media starved cycling fan. If you can watch it or listen to it, VideoLAN can encode it to a file, decode it from a file or serve it up on a network in dozens of formats.

You can use VLC to encode live audio from a microphone that's plugged into your PC or laptop into an mp3 stream. If you aren't satisfied with the commentary for the ToC, you can provide your own to the world!

The "how to" follows below:

Network Setup
You need some network know-how to make your world-wide debut. A detailed networking tutorial is beyond the scope of this write-up, so here are some basic hints.

There are a handful of common network configurations for cable and DSL providers. If you have a public IP address, you're good to go. You'll just need to configure your firewall to allow access to the port we'll use (more on that later). Alternatively, your modem might use NAT (Network Address Translation), so your PC has a private IP address (private addresses will start with "10" or "172" or "192"). In that case, you'll need to configure DNAT (destination NAT) so your PC can be reached from the Internet. Or, your ISP might use a private address scheme that prevents the outside world from connecting to your PC (Boo!).

Hardware Setup
You need a microphone and a relatively modern PC or laptop. If you don't have a mic, you can use a pair of headphones, though the sound quality won't be as good.

VLC Setup
Download and install VideoLAN (VLC). It has a spartan, functional graphical interface.

First, before you broadcast to the world, you'll want to do a loopback test.

Start VLC, and from the "File" menu select "Open Capture Device". A dialog box will pop up that allows you to choose audio and video sources. For the video source, select "None", and for the audio source select the name of your audio adapter. Next check the "Stream/Save" box and click the "Settings..." button.

Another dialog box will open with a mind boggling set of choices.

For the "Outputs" you want to serve your stream via the "mmsh" protocol. Check the mmsh box. In the "address" box next to "mmsh", enter 127.0.0.1. For the encapsulation method, select the ASF format. For the transcoding options, check the "Audio codec" box, and select "mp3". A bitrate of "128" kbits is great quality, but will probably consume all your available bandwidth with three or four simultaneous connections. A "32" kbps rate sounds like a bad cell phone call, but is intelligible, and you will probably be able to support an audience of 10 people! You'll be famous.

Finally, click OK, and you're ready to listen to yourself.

Open your favorite media player, for Windows Media, select the "open URL" option, and enter the following address:

mms://127.0.0.1:1234/

Note the "port" is specified after the colon. The VLC player typically uses port 1234. When you configure your firewall, specify TCP port 1234.

You should be able to hear yourself, or massive feedback. In either case, you're ready to broadcast world-wide.

Stop VLC, and run through the setup again, but replace "127.0.0.1" with "0.0.0.0" and let the world hear your cycling commentary!

Conclusion
This diary entry is just one example of the many things you can do with VLC. Numerous good how-tos on other topics are out there on the web. Have fun!