I recently read two “underdog” bike books, “A Dog in a Hat” by Joe Parkin and “Tales from the Toolbox” by Scott Parr.
Joe Parkin was a bottom-rung pro bike racer in Europe in the late 80’s. That is, he had what it took to be a worker for the best, a domestique. He also did his own local-style racing on the side — as a pro in Belgium. All of it was head’n’shoulders above US racing, but over there it was everyday blue collar action, like pro prizefighting. His host family ran a cafe (bar) that he was the homeboy racer hero for. He’s an American but in his Belgian town he was their guy. Joe was proud to race his bike for a good living. And he sometimes went back to the States when a big race came up that his Euro-team wanted to attend. What’s weird is that even though he was better than all the Americans around him he often didn’t win these home-country races because to him they just didn’t go right, they were too wimpy, no one was really riding. He was used to real work and real moves for the big money, even though it went to his team leader and he got the trickledown.
It’s a good story of the grunt-work side of the pro bike scene. You get to see what unmonitored local-style Euro-pro racing is really like. It’s desperate and crazy…and full of drugs. These guys are racing hundreds of times a year, a nonstop circus. For some it gets so that they race in order to take the drugs. They’re young and dumb.
Joe has some heroes he ran into — like crazy Bob Roll — who inspired his racing. I had some of the same ones, but I never ran into them. Maybe that’s why I never went so gungho. Although I did run into some top dogs. Joe also kept encountering interesting and worthy characters as he went along the low-pro path, including some managers.
Bobke’s late 80’s book of workingclass racing — dirt and road — is a fine one, too. A little less desperate and less drug-addled.
There are some online interviews with Joe Parkin and his pal Alan Peiper that are wonderful additions to the book.
If you want to get a feel for riding your head off in the cold Belgian rain, check it out. I thought “Dog in a Hat” referred to bike racers — like dogs wearing hats. Slaves in outfits. No, it meant bike strategy: his coach said to keep your eye out for the dog in a hat, meaning someone who looks out of place, someone who’s going to try something fancy. It wouldn’t be the winner per se, but a lackey being sent on an attack by the hopeful winner’s team to break things up. And Joe was the rival lackey who had to then follow and squash his move.
www.amazon.com/Dog-Hat-American-Betrayal-Belgium/dp/1934030260/jeffpottersoutyoA/ (use this link and OYB will get a % of any order)
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“Tales from the Toolbox” is about life as a mechanic on a low-level American team in Europe in the early 90’s before the US had powerhouse teams over there. Scott Parr starts with his learning year being dumped in over his head. He was experienced on the US scene but that was nothing like the in-depth culture and demands of the high-end Euro-pro world, into which his US pro team, Motorola, jumped without much experience. But they did fine, thanks to everyone putting in 18-hour days. He’s with Jim Ochowicz’s gang, just post-7-Eleven, with a young Lance. This time, instead of being on the bottom in Belgium, we’re in the middle of the top events, in a team car in the heat of the action, but we’re still seeing it all through the eyes of a rookie. Don’t screw up! Don’t screw up! Get the leader his wheel so he doesn’t lose his gap! Our rookie finally gets a few years in and gets his groove on and so can reflect better on the bike race culture he sees around him.
This book has stories on the inside character details of many of the stars of the early 90’s including insights into Lance that clearly reveal the stand-out on his way up to ever-greater achievement. Like when Lance was out of the running in an early race and the race was hit by a near-hurricane. Lance asked the director what he should do, should he bag it? The old Euro-dude said, Don’t quit. A toss-off seemingly meant to be ignored or to cause a lowly American some extra humiliation in a place where he didn’t belong. Lance didn’t quit. He stuck it out, finishing in the dark rain long after everyone else. …Then he won his first big Euro-race shortly thereafter.
“Toolbox” also includes sections of tips that everyday riders can use, like the “pro bike cleaning and tune-up” which outlines what he did for his pro rider’s bikes every day after the racing and which will make any bike work its best. Lots of brushes, buckets and soap. It’s probably more like cleaning down a race-horse than you’ve been doing so far with your bike. I remember the few years that I raced hard when I ended up cleaning and maintaining my bike that same way. It’s fun having a bike that works perfectly. It has to, or you’re OTB.
www.amazon.com/Tales-Toolbox-Inside-Cycling-Team/dp/1884737390/jeffpottersoutyoA/ (use this link and OYB will get a % of any order)
