Positive Vibration

"Rooms on the Beach", I said it really was on the beach and it is.

The Jamaica Fat Tyre Festival commences with a welcome party on the first night. This year the party was held at John Crows Tavern. On the north shore of Jamaica you will see the name John Crow associated with many things. It is very unclear and probably unknown who John Crow really was. It is the name of a mountain range near the famous Blue Mountains in Jamaica. It is also the name of a type of Jamaican vulture simply known as John Crow bird. The name John Crow is synonomous with many things in Jamaica, among them are death, vanity, evil, ugliness and disgrace. I like to think the tavern is named after the mountains which is a more popular use of the name, although after a few hours at John Crows things can get pretty ugly.

The party was what you would expect from a bunch of mountain bikers on holiday. We were all given schwag bags conataining three bottles of Appleton Rum, six breakfast tickets to a great breakfast place, and all sorts of other goodies. After we all gorged ourselves on great food and Red Stripes we were treated to an open bar for several hours. Throw in copious amounts of Red Stripe and enough Appleton Rum to float a cruise ship and everyone became friends quickly. It is important to point out at this point that Appleton Estates is a major sponsor of the JFTF. It is really a great group of people that the organizers have assembled for this festival.

In addition to the pros that have already been mentioned my good friends and former Jamaican residents Declan and Wayne were in attendance as well as Andy Giles who is the main organizer of the event and has lived in Jamaica for 18 yrs. I met these guys many years ago riding in Jamaica and almost every year since we meet up in the states or Jamaica to ride. It is funny how one sport can bond people from varied geographical locations that other wise would have never crossed paths. I have met some of the best people I know through this sport.

The party went on til, I really don't know how long the party lasted but it was long enough, maybe longer than I needed. Eventually Brad, Tom and myself navigated back to "Rooms" and took a nap until breakfast at 8:00am.