{"product_id":"a-dog-in-a-hat-an-american-bike-racers-story-of-mud-drugs-blood-betrayal-and-beauty-in-belgium-9781934030264","title":"A Dog in a Hat: An American Bike Racer's Story of Mud  Drugs  Blood  Betrayal  and Beauty in Belgium","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn 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 Joes 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45647044804661,"sku":"ByrdShop_1934030260","price":24.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781934030264.jpg?v=1781686785","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/a-dog-in-a-hat-an-american-bike-racers-story-of-mud-drugs-blood-betrayal-and-beauty-in-belgium-9781934030264","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}