{"title":"Joe Parkin","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"come-and-gone-book-joe-parkin-9781934030547","title":"Come and Gone","description":"\u003cp\u003eThere's something very approachable about the underdog, the guy who works as hard as anyone, but never achieves the stardom we all chase. Joe's candor is refreshing to read and entertaining as hell. -- \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePezCycling News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eCome and Gone\u003c\/i\u003e is the eagerly anticipated sequel to Joe Parkin's Belgian cycling classic, \u003ci\u003eA Dog in a Hat\u003c\/i\u003e, bringing Parkin home to the nascent American bike racing scene that would give rise to Lance Armstrong and the homegrown sport of mountain biking.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter five years of gritty, blue-collar bike racing in Belgium, Parkin flies back to the United States with empty pockets and no contract. He joins the elite Coors Lite road team as a key member, but the adjustment to domestic racing, with small crowds, rookie teammates, and poorly promoted events, is a letdown after the glory of racing in the European peloton.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDisillusioned, Joe is ready to hang up his cleats when he is offered a contract with a pro mountain bike team. The freshness of mountain biking proves to be an elixir: Joe's career blossoms and he rediscovers his love of the sport.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCome and Gone\u003c\/i\u003e is a rare, frank, and intimate sports memoir about the lifestyle of the pro scene during the heyday of American mountain bike racing.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe race descriptions are so realistic, you'll need a heart-rate monitor. -- \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eUSA Today\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA fun, barebones adventure through the eyes of a professional cycling journeyman. -- \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eVeloNews\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn unflinching look at the grueling and often mundane world of professional cycling. Dirt geeks will appreciate the historical context as Parkin races in the blossoming mountain bike scene of the '90s and competes against legends such as Ned Overend and Tinker Juarez.An engaging coming of age story on the bike. -- \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDirt Rag\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49518232666385,"sku":"GOR005382045","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49755604975889,"sku":"CIN1934030546G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":51691392368913,"sku":"CIN1934030546VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53714069881105,"sku":"GOR015013545","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1934030546.jpg?v=1751250887"},{"product_id":"dog-in-a-hat-book-joe-parkin-9781934030264","title":"A Dog in a Hat","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.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRiding 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.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA Dog in a Hat\u003c\/em\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParkin 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.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA Dog in a Hat\u003c\/em\u003e 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":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49529136152849,"sku":"GOR002431250","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49639505264913,"sku":"GOR004757240","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49803305648401,"sku":"CIN1934030260G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":49875315294481,"sku":"CIN1934030260VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1934030260.jpg?v=1751431740"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/collections\/author-books-by-joe-parkin.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}