A Dog in a Hat: An American Bike Racers Story of Mud, Drugs, Blood, Betrayal, and Beauty in Belgium by Joe Parkin

A Dog in a Hat: An American Bike Racers Story of Mud, Drugs, Blood, Betrayal, and Beauty in Belgium Reviews

• 
  Nick Sweeney

  I never heard of Joe Parkin when I watched pro bike racing in the 1980s, the reason being that all you could ever see was the Tour de France (Channel 4 devoted a measly half-hour to it each day), and Joe Parkin never rode the TdF. He also never won anything, really, so his name was never one that was reported. He was relatively unusual, as an American rider in Belgium. By then, Californian Greg Lemond had already won the TdF for the first time, so it wasn't like there was no American presence at all, but Joe's was a different presence to Lemond's, away from the spotlight.
  
  He threw his all into being the 'dog in a hat' of the title - something normal doing something unusual - and therefore learnt Flemish, lived with other Belgians and shared rooms with them when he toured, immersed himself into the rather rough life of a Belgian rider at the mercy of Belgian weather, and its rather masochistic hard man culture.
  
  The low-level living of a faceless domestique comes over as very real in Joe Parkin's book; the horrible hotel rooms and beaten-up cars, the day-to-day illnesses and ailments, the craziness of team mates popping all kinds of drugs that, far from enhancing their performances, just added to their entertainment value for fellow-riders before they slipped off the back of the race. Joe tried hard to win, even just once, to the extent of undertaking the practice of bribing the other guys approaching the line - a common one, even in obscure criterium races around nowhere towns - but all to no avail.
  
  He dabbled occasionally in performance enhancement, but in fact was uneasy with the drugs culture rife in the sport, and avoided it most of the time, possibly one reason why he never won anything in a period when all of the winners were doping.
  
  The book is an honest, and hilarious, look at the life of a pro bike rider with all the frills removed. My one criticism of it is that it needs an edit in places (For example Joe 'grabbed a bunch of brakes' to stop suddenly, many times) to avoid the repetition of phrases so good they stick out when repeated. He also assumes that his reader will know a lot about pro bike racing at times, with certain terms unexplained, and only clear from context. Nevertheless, an entertaining book, and I will track down his second as soon as I can.
• 
  Steve

  Fun, and a quick easy read. Parkin isn't Hemingway, and his editors didn't do him any favors, but his experiences are fascinating to a bike geek. For every Greg Lemond and Andy Hampsten and Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer, there are legions of guys like Parkin whose lives, racing bikes in Europe, are invisible to us. Parkin pulls back the curtain and delivers his tale in simple, straightforward prose. I respect the risks he took and the sacrifices he made. I stayed up late two nights in a row to get through this, and I was glad I did.
• 
  Janet

  I enjoyed reading the book, but can't claim that it's particularly well-written or insightful. It would have been completely unintelligible if I hadn't already read 'Roadie: The Misunderstood World of a Bike Racer,' by Jamie Smith. I bought Jamie Smith's book because he's my friend Denise's brother. It's an explanation of the nuts and bolts and culture of bike racing, written for the family and friends of racers. It was funny and well written, and revealed the mysteries of race strategy. That somehow lead into reading 'The Rider' by Tim Krabbe. It's a brilliant novel, that follows the thoughts of one bike racer during a brutal race. And then I find myself reading 'A Dog in a Hat'. I mainly picked it up because of the reference to Belgium. Parkin became a bike nut as a teenager, and took off to Belgium to become a real racer as soon as he could. He learned Flemish, kept his head down, and worked his ass off. He's not exactly articulate, but it's readable, and it's a portrait of a world that's about as alien to me as the moon.
• 
  Jeremy Duffle

  Good, honest account. Engaging stories.
• 
  Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer

  Unapologetic and entertaining biographical account of an American Pro-cyclist riding in a variety of Belgian teams (ADR, Tulip but also kermises outfits) in the late 1980’s.
• 
  Michael

  Unlike the book I finished before this that was about a 3,000 mile journey on a bike that didn't talk much about cycling per se, this book is entirely intended for reading by cyclists or people otherwise interested in bicycle racing. The author, instead of going to college, went off to Belgium and became a professional cyclist with a succession of different teams during the first five years of the 1990s. He was a reasonable support rider but never won anything significant so eventually, failing to get a contract with a European team, he returned to the U.S.
  
  Mostly this is a 200 page chronological description of the highlights of his career, which as kind of a by-product gives the reader (such as myself, having no way of knowing) more background on what cycle racing was like in Europe (since it has evolved in the fifteen years since this was written). He talks about being one of the very few Americans involved in European racing at that time. He describes drug use a bit, but mostly it was amphetimine use at that time and he suggests that for many riders it did as much harm as good, at least in terms of winning.
  
  This fellow has written a follow-up book about his experiences racing in the U.S. after he returned; I suppose I'll get around to reading that next.
• 
  Ivana Sunjic

  I thought this was such an interesting book. I'm currently living in Belgium, and I knew cycling was more than just a hobby, but I had absolutely no idea how intense this was!
  I have a new-found appreciation for the gruelling training and races these athletes endure, and Joe Parkin has a really engaging narrative style. I picked this book up at a "book dump", but I'm seriously considering going out and buying his companion novel! Can't believe someone discarded this book without ever reading it.
• 
  Kathy

  This was a really interesting look into the life of an American bike racer in Europe. I really enjoyed the book, and would recommend it to anyone interested in the sport of professional cycling. My only negative comment is in regard to the flow of the narrative. It was a little choppy and seemed to skip around a little bit - but as it was a memoir and not a story, perhaps the style was appropriate.
• 
  Paul

  Parkin's is an interesting and lively account of his days as a professional cyclist in Belgium. I'm a casual cycling fan, not hardcore or anything, who occasionally jumps onto an old road bike for a short spin. Parkin could have developed some of the characters in his story a bit more. I'd like to have known more about Albert, for instance, but it's not a novel I suppose. If you like cycling, then it's definitely worth a read. Solid B.
• 
  Chris Rando

  My third real foray into cycling lit, though honestly, reading Parkin was hitting paydirt. This was a natural progression from Bob Roll's _Bobke_, as Roll was Parkin's Californian contemporary and partly the impetus for Parkin seeking his fortune overseas (in what is -- as American enthusiasts like me may not immediately know -- the capital of cycling: Belgium, where it's both the national sport and a part of the national identity, especially in Flanders).
  
  Here's my only spoiler and it's really not much of a surprise: Parkin drops everything when he realizes development and a career as a cyclist are near-impossible in the US and ships off to Europe as a young man, arriving with barely enough seed money and a few names of people to seek out for help in establishing himself. And the rest is the story of how a cyclist hits the ground and succeeds. Whereas a Spaniard, an Italian, a French, Swiss -- even a Briton or Irish -- would be at least somewhat familiar with particular European cultures, it's a bit of a shock to the American who finds the customs (rider camaraderie, diet, drugs, labor practices, even HVAC traditions) odd, funny, touching, sometimes alien.
  
  And really this is not the story of an American achieving stardom (ever heard of him?) but rather the chance a young person has at following the same path a European would from semi-pro to career rider, and how he shoots his shot.
  
  As autobios go, it's genuine, minimally polished, and of the cycling memoirs I've read it's among the most from-the-heart, seat-of-the-pants of accounts, and time well spent.
• 
  Seth

  Perhaps the best of a plethora of recent books written by Americans who raced bikes professionally in Europe, Parkin got out before the drug situation got REALLY bad there (it was already bad in the 1980s). The thing is, there isn't a drop of self pity in his unflinching portrayal of this weird, distinctively Belgian and quite corrupt world. Parkin's book is one of humor and lightheartedness.
  
  Indeed, bike racing as a profession is supposed to be fun, right? Read Tyler Hamilton's or any other EPO/drug confession title from the last decade and it seems like one of the worst professions in the world, beating out previous leaders in that category such as diamond mining and toxic waste site cleanup worker.
• 
  Paul Gonterman

  I was hoping for a little more. The title is a little misleading, you never get great detail on doping, betrayal or anything very personal. It seems it was written to just break the surface but not alienate or put a bad light on any past teammates, directors, or sponsors. I was disappointed because I had looked forward to reading this for quite a while.
• 
  Judge

  It was a good read, fairly quick one too. Some interesting stories, and fascinating insight into the racing scene in Belgium. Would have enjoyed it that much more if it was a bit longer or some of the experiences expanded upon. Good read for the colder months when one cant spend as much time on the bike
• 
  James

  Great anecdotes about racing in Belgium.
• 
  S

  Good start that then drags and fizzles with zero triumph, much like the author's career.
  
  Chronological with zero overall message / point offered up.
• 
  Michael

  I so badly wanted this book to be the Kitchen Confidential of cycling, and it could have been, but it just wasn't. Still a good read, but the writing and the editing were just poor.
• 
  Cade

  If we can't watch the Spring Classics and racing in Belgium, we might as well read about it. Well written, this book keeps the pages turning and is an enjoyable read about racing in Belgium in the late 80's. Great way to pass time stuck inside.
• 
  Tracy

  A rare glimpse into the world of professional cycling in Belgium, this is a story that could only have been told by Joe Parkin, an American cycling in Europe not for the glory but for the love of it. If you're interested at all in cycling beyond what is seen in the Tour de France then I would recommend this book. It definitely garnered a new found respect for these athletes, who in my opinion, push themselves beyond what any other sport requires.
  
  However, it's a shame that this book wasn't better edited, because then it might reach a wider audience. Of course Joe Parkin is a cyclist, not a writer, but this is where a good editor steps in. The book lacked cohesiveness and at times seemed very random- anecdotes thrown in that didn't really have anything to do with anything, while some other things were glossed over. I wish there had been more emphasis placed on the cultural difference between the way Belgians regard cycling and Americans disregard it. It really won't appeal to anyone other than cyclists.
• 
  Matthew

  While I've been riding for a while, I've only recently become a cycling racing fan. A Dog in a Hat cemented my new-found passion.
  
  The book has garnered attention as an expose on the use of drugs and doping in cycling during the early 1990's. While Parkin doesn't shy away from the topic, the end result is a collection of personal stories that emphasis how incredible the sport is despite any tarnish on the reputation of some of its riders.
  
  In fact, anyone who walks away from this read thinking only about doping has missed the story. A Dog in a Hat is the closest most of us will come to experiencing the strange ascetic lifestyle of a nameless cycling pro living out a deranged dream of suffering and striving.
  
  The book is not heavy. It's easily consumed in a day. The only issue I had was the book came to an end much sooner that I wished. The biggest praise about this book I can offer: After reading I wanted nothing more than to get out and ride harder.
• 
  Cary

  Somehow the ad in Velo News for this book slipped past me, but not my wife. She noticed the promo and noticed that the local Borders had one more copy and picked it up for me.
  I am loving it! This memoir of a 1990s era pro cyclist is captivating. This is about the sometimes ugly underbelly of the sport as it's experienced in Europe. Joe moved to Belgium before he was 21 and became sort of a Belgian. He was never a household name. In fact, I'm a pretty hard core cycling fan and followed the sport pretty closely during his time and hadn't heard of him before this book. He was a domestique for most of his career and takes pride in his contributions to other's success. Reminds me of myself as a basketball player, enjoying the assist and the rebound as much as the drive to the basket. Anyway I totally identify with him and have learned a lot about pro racing.