A Dog in a Hat: An American Bike Racer's Story of Mud, Drugs, Blood, Betrayal, and Beauty in Belgium

Let me state upfront that I grew up in Flanders, Belgium (lived there until I came to the US at age 23 in 1983) and that I am a huge fan of pro-cycling (Eddy Merckx is a national icon in Belgium, of course). I stumbled onto this book, never having heard of Joe Parkin before in my life. What a delicious treat this book is. In "A Dog In a Hat: An American Bike Racer's Story of Drugs, Blood, Betrayal and Beauty in Belgium" (219 pages), Joe Parkin brings the unlikely tale of a decent-but-not-great bike rider who takes the plunge at a young age to move to Belgium to try and make it in the pro-cycling world in the late 80s. At that time, Greg Lemond was one of the few other Americans in the pro-cycling world, but Parkin was nowhere ever near Lemond's level. Parkin moves in with a Flemish host family and immerses himself in the Flemish environment and becomes one of them, even learning the language well enough to have meaningful conversation in the local language (not sure of Lemond ever did that, but I could be wrong). Parkin is in American terms a minor league baseball player who occasionally gets called up to the majors, but it doesn't matter and it's not a slight to Parkin whatsoever: he lived the pro-cycling dream for 6 years of being there, how many American cyclists can say that in those days (1986 through 1991)? Parkin's tales of the "kermis" (carnival, i.e. baseball level triple AAA) races make for riveting, and laugh-out-loud, reading. Perkin was a member of the 1988 US World Championship race which happened to be held in Belgium, a highlight of his career and where he did well enough to be noticed and get a better contract for the next year. Parkin's love and affection for Flanders, its people and culture, and the cycling world there shines throughout this book. What a fantastic book this is, and HIGHLY RECOMMENED for any true pro-cycling fan from those crazy days of the late 80/early 90s. Goe' gedaan, jong!

We have here a true cycling story, but one that's not just for cyclists or cycling fans. I think through the writer's style he opens the sport up enough for anyone to enjoy, but I have to admit that I probably only own the book because I am a lifelong casual/amateur cyclist myself (about the same age as Joe). Many reviews speak of JP not being a "winner" or on a winning team, but this book exemplifies the lives of many racers down through the years. The domestique (translates as "servant") as they are known, cycle for the pure love of the sport and give their all for the team. They turn themselves inside out to ride at the front into the wind or to pace up a hill, they give up their bike for a team leader if he has a mechanical, they carry extra food and water, they live through vicarious glory and the sense of accomplishment that only comes from working hard. It's an everyman's story, but Joe chased his dream instead of wondering about what could have been. He measured himself against the best in the world in his "trade" and found out where he stood. I think this book gives personal, conversational, "warts and all" insight into the life of a guy many of us would envy, but few would have the courage to emulate. A great read.

This book is a memoir of coming of age on a bicycle. At 18 years old, Parkin decided to try his luck bike racing in Europe. He already had some early racing successes to his credit. A chance conversation with racer Bob Roll sent him to Belgium in 1986. Over the next 5 years, while his compatriots plugged away at American colleges, Parkin learned the sport of professional bike racing, competing on a series of Belgian teams. In this book, Parkin describes his adventures as a professional bike racer in the late 1980s, discussing not only the personalities and techniques of his teammates, but also the drug pushing that was so common at the time. The book is quite fast-paced, with its behind-the-scenes stories of professional racing. It provides a window into the world of team riding, and into the pressures and politics of professional sports. Amateur bicycle enthusiasts and racers alike may find much of interest in this book.

I knew absolutely nothing about cycling until I got interested in the TV coverage of the Tour de France several years ago. My nephew had raced a little (before breaking collar bones several times in accidents), and he explained me most of the general strategy and most interestingly how the peleton can catch guys that are 15-20 minutes ahead. A Dog in a Hat completed my education by describing the life of an average cyclist not pre-destined to ever wear a yellow jersey or get a stage win. I would always marvel at these guys ability to race day after day up and down steep mountains. Joe Parkin tells it all based on his pre-Lance Armstrong life in Belgium as a minor professional bike racer. He lays out the pressures to use pharmaceutical products to get every last ounce of energy from the cyclist's body. He reveals the "negotiations" at the head of the pack as cyclist's attempt to bribe for a win. Truly amazing stories all. His story telling ability reminds me of Bob Roll in the VS coverage of the Tour de France. One gets the feeling of unvarnished truth being rolled out before you without regard to economic consequences late on down the road. This is a great read. Unfortunately its pages roll by with the pace of sprinters during the last 100 yards of a time trial. It was way too short for my taste, and it leaves me hungering for more.

July 4, 1987. For Joe Parkin, that date provided special fireworks, as he signed his first professional cycling contract after a year of showing his stuff in the European amateur ranks. It was a start of wild ride of chasing dreams as - what the Belgians call - "a dog with a hat on" (something familiar, yet decidedly out of place). The sketches in the memoir chronicle the five years that Parkin rode in the professional peloton as one of the few Americans competing full-time in Europe. Parkin mixes the craziness of the mobile road show with the controversies and tragedies that continue to grip the sport. "The European teams of that era (in Belgium especially) didn't think highly of goody-two-shoes riders," he writes. "Like the vaunted Blue Code of Silence among police, pro bike racing definitely had the Lycra Code of Silence." But some initial impressions cover the entire course. Parkin was not impressed with the already bitter cyclist, Paul Kimmage, which was several years before he published a controversial book - Rough Ride - that exposed the shadows within professional cycling, including the illegal drug use on teams. Parkin says he mostly avoided the performance-enhancing drugs of the day, only once taking a mixture of pop and a chalky substance during a particularly tough spot in a semi-classic event. It was given to him by a team official when he complained of an upset stomach. "Many of the team managers, teammates, friends, and fans I had while living in Belgium would have looked at not taking the drugs as a failure to give 100 percent to being a cyclist," Parkin writes. "A doctor once told me that a well-trained athlete can find about 85 percent of his potential, whereas a well-trained athlete on amphetamines will be able to perform at 105 percent." But through such pressure comes some incredibly hilarious moments. At one point, Parkin found himself being deported from Belgium when it could not be officially determined what cycling entity was paying his salary and he had a number of high-speed moments in cabs and team vehicles while just trying to get to events. A brief conversation with Greg LeMond during one major event - as the pair struggled in the back of the pack - found the legendary Tour de France champion heeding some tough advice from the journeyman. "'You'd better quit, man. I can't see that we're possibly going to be going any slower,'" Parkin said. Later, LeMond dropped out of the Tour of Ireland. But in an era when contracts could be negotiated with handshakes, Parkin seemed to be a day late in finding one during the closing months of what became his final season as a European road racer. He eventually switched to mountain bikes and infrequently returned to Europe for competitions. And though he may not have had the form to stand on the podium after a major event - and never competed in the Tour de France - Parkin wears a yellow jersey for sharing his recollections on this trek during a special time in American cyc