THE FIRST ANNUAL NEGRIL FAT TIRE & MUSIC FESTIVAL
"It's the coolest ---damn race course I've ever been on"
-John Thompson, Mountain Bike magazine

This annual event is held the second weekend of February

****The Third Annual Fat Tire Festival will be held February 6-10, 2001***

Activities will include a downhill race, expert & sport class cross country races, wicked trial rides, a bicycle scavenger hunt, parties, food, music, great prizes, and lots more!

"It's the coolest ---damn race course I've ever been on"-John Thompson, Mountain Bike magazine

** If you'd like to help with the upcoming festival (as a volunteer, sponsor, entertainment/talent, promotions, etc.) please contact Linda through the "contact us" page on this site.

The Second Annual Negril Fat Tire Festival was held Feb. 8-12, 2000 Check the August 2000 issue of Mountain Bike magazine for their feature story on the festival. Special thanks to all the volunteers for their help; NEMA Vital Garments, White Sands Hotel, Xtabi Resort, LTU Pub & Villas, Happy Banana 2, Mr. Slice, Pickled Parrot, Mi Yard, WILD THING, Negril Yacht Club, The Water Company, Jamaica Tourist Board, & AIR JAMAICA for their support!!

THURSDAY February 10
DOWNHILL RACE
sponsored by the WILD THING CATAMARAN
After the race, awards ceremony was held at the "A One Love" bar in Redground
First place: Zerial "Zero" Hayles from Negril. Prize: $5,000
Second Place: Rusty from Negril. Prize: Dinner for two at the Happy Banana 2 in Negril
Third Place: Mark "Fuzzy" Nickerson from Delaware, USA. Prize: dinner for two at the Negil Yacht Club.
Fourth Place: Pauline Tamburo from New Jersey, USA. Prize: Breakfast for two at Mi Yard.

SATURDAY February 12
Cross Country Race (Expert Class: 20 miles off road; 99% singletrack)
First place: Zerial "Zero" Hayles from Negril. Prize: $10,000
Second place: Brent Lowes from Toronto, Canada Prize: Round trip ticket from Air Jamaica (First placing Foreign National)
Third Place: Donald "Peg Leg" Davis from Grange Hill, Westmoreland. Prize: $5,000.
Fourth Place: Bill Gentile from Pennsylvania, USA. Prize: $2,500.

Cross Country Race (Sport Class: 12 miles off road; 99% singletrack)
First place - TIE!
Korrado "Mughead" Fletcher from Kingston. Prize: $1,000 (Jamaican
National)
Second place: Allan Turns from Delaware, USA. Prize: Choice of goods from Action Wheels bike shop in the USA (Foreign National)
Third Place: Rick Tamburo from New Jersey, USA. Prize: Choice of goods from Action Wheels bike shop.
Fourth Place: Kristie Faufaw from Massachusetts, USA. Prize: Choice of goods from Action Wheels bike shop

JAMAICA MOUNTAIN BIKE ASSOCIATION 


Jamaica Mountain Bike Asscociation JAMBA is dedicated to promoting mountain biking in Jamaica and supporting the Jamaica Mountain Bike Team.

Under the auspices of the Jamaica Cycling Federation, the Jamaica Mountain Bike Association (JAMBA) is the governing body of mountain biking in Jamaica. JAMBA is recognized by the Jamaica Olympic Association and the Ministry of Sports, Labour and Welfare. JAMBA is licensed by the Jamaica Tourist Board and the Tourism Product and Development Company.

Rusty and Linda have recently formed the Jamaica Mountain Bike Association Limited (JAMBA). We are recognized by Jamaicas Ministry of Sports and Labor.

In June of 1998, after 2 years of hard training, Zerial Hayles, a 16 year old Jamaican mountain biker, traveled with Rusty to the USA to compete in cross country and down hill races in preparation for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Zerial is the first mountain biker ever to compete for Jamaica. 

Zerial had never even seen a mountain bike race of any kind, and on his first weekend out of Jamaica, he participated in an all age, all class down hill
race. Zerial took third place and Rusty (also his first mountain race, although had seen one before) took first place.  Rusty and Zerial have placed in the top 5 of all all races in which they have participated. As it is a first time for of them on the race circuit, they are racing sport class and next year will be eligible to race in expert.

So far this race season the Jamaica Mountain Bike Team has 4 first place finishes, 1 second place, 1 third place, 1 fifth and 1 sixth (mechanical difficulties).

In 1999 we hope to take both Zerial and another Jamaican youth, who has now been training with Rusty for a year, to the USA to race and to qualify for the Olympics.