Reviews
"A Dog in a Hatis the most authentic book ever written on making a living as a pro cyclist in Europe." -Bob Roll, Versus Tour de France cycling commentator "IsA Dog in a Hatthe best book we've ever read about bike racing? Undeniably yes. The essential truths you'll learn about Belgian bike racing are timeless. And the self-effacing (and often hilarious) way Joe narrates the absurdity of these traditions will make you laugh out loud. Of everything written about bike racing throughout the history of mankind, Chapter 3, "Kermis Don't Play Fair," is the most important 20 pages ever penned. No one should be permitted to own a USA Cycling license without being able to recite this chapter from heart. You'll be fascinated by Joe's humility, his determination, and by the warped way domestiques set their goals and weigh success." -CompetitiveCyclist.com "A Dog in a Hatis a page turner. Anyone who has raced in Europe or who wonders what it's like to jump the ocean on your own should pick up this book. Joe captures the struggle and the intensity to succeed, and the fact that he did it on his own is all the more impressive. Cycling in Europe is tough; doing it Joe's way is even tougher!" -Frankie Andreu "Parkin's commentary is riveting, offering an insider look into the sport that few get to see, let alone experience." -Mountain Bike magazine "I lovedA Dog in a Hat. Joe's stories bring back many memories of racing in Belgium, where I learned how to fight for position in the echelon, to suffer in the gutter while jumping curbs and dodging potholes, and to pound out my guts when it really mattered. Belgium is a hard place to learn bicycle racing and Joe's story proves how tough he was." -Ron Kiefel "This plain, self-deprecating memoir has the ring of authenticity at the other end of the sport where-even today-not all the riders are being paid, the hotels are still bad, and the races are just as hard." -TinDonkey.com "Joe Parkin is a beautiful piece of work, and he turns out to be a better writer than I am a bike racer." -Bill Strickland,Bicyclingmagazine "[Readers] have a seat in the middle of the peloton as we see what Joe sees, breathe what he smells, watch as his peers juice up and we struggle with him as he strives to get out in front of it all. Parkin's words weave a colorful tapestry about living life on the bicycle racing circuit in Europe. Yet that tapestry is soiled and tattered because of the true cutthroat nature of bicycle racing and the absolute grit in the stories Joe relives for us." -Dirt Rag magazine "Sordid, funny, and engrossing." -Bike Snob NYC "Joe tells his story straight. It's not pretty, but it's not bitter." -BikeRadar.com "Impossible to put down." -Mountain Bike Actionmagazine "Parkin went native in an era when Americans were still exotic creatures, and not in a good way. This unglamorized insider's view is what makesA Dog in a Hatwell worth reading. Parkin shows you life on the edge of the peloton. We know the great champions' stories, but Parkin's experience is far more illustrative of what a "pro cyclist" really is." -PodiumCafe.com "A slice of literary badassness. I've had a lifelong struggle maintaining an attention span for reading books, but this is a page turner that's been hard for me to put down.A Dog in a Hatis truly captivating." -HowtoAvoidtheBummerLife.com "Joe Parkin's heart was in racing on the road in Belgium and it is eloquently stated in his book. You should readA Dog in a Ha
Synopsis
A Dog in a Hat is the remarkable story of Joe Parkin. In 1987, Parkin left the comforts of home to become a bike racer in Belgium, the hardest place in the world to be a bike racer. As one of the first American pros in Europe, Parkin was what the Belgians call 'a dog with a hat on' -- something familiar, yet decidedly out of place. Parkin's memoir reads like a novel. In plainspoken and fast-paced prose, Parkin describes the true life of the professional bike racer, putting the reader into the whirlwind of this hardest of athletic educations. A Dog in a Hat begins with Parkin's terrifying first visit to his team doctor, where he is strapped to a table and monitored by humming electrodes as men in white lab coats coldly divine his future as a pro. Parkin's story is honest. A Dog in a Hat celebrates the glory of bike racing, but Parkin thrillingly tells the hard reality of the life -- the drugs, the payoffs, the betrayals by teammates, the battles with team owners for contracts and money, the endless promises that keep you going, and the rider's sheer physical agony of racing day after day. Despite the pain, despite the suffering, A Dog in a Hat is a beautiful book. It is one American's story of his love affair with professional cycling, set in the hardest place in the world to be a bike racer. It is a story untold until now, and one that Parkin's readers will never forget., When a normal situation suddenly changes, the Belgians call it 'a dog with a hat on'. Joe Parkin, an American bike racer who left the familiar comforts of home to compete at the highest level in Belgium, was that dog. In his searing, no-holds-barred memoir, Parkin describes the true life of a professional bike racer., In 1987, Joe Parkin was an amateur bike racer in California when he ran into Bob Roll, a pro on the powerhouse Team 7-Eleven. "Lobotomy Bob" told Parkin that, to become a pro, he must go to Belgium. Riding along a canal in Belgium years later, Roll encountered Parkin, who he saw as "a wraith, an avenging angel of misery, a twelve-toothed assassin" . Roll barely recognized him. Belgium had forged Parkin into a pro bike racer, and changed him forever. A Dog in a Hat is Joe's remarkable story. Leaving California with a bag of clothes, two spare wheels, some cash, and a phone number, Parkin left the comforts of home for the windy, rainswept heartland of European cycling. As one of the first American pros in Europe, Parkin was what the Belgians call "a dog with a hat on" -- something familiar, yet decidedly out of place. Parkin lays out the hard reality of the life--the drugs, the payoffs, the betrayals by teammates, the battles with team owners for contracts and money, the endless promises that keep you going, the agony of racing day after day, and the glory of a good day in the saddle. A Dog in a Hat is the unforgettable story of the un-ordinary education of Joe Parkin and his love affair with racing, set in the hardest place in the world to be a bike racer. It is a story untold until now, and one that you will never forget.
