Words feel difficult to grasp trying to describe racing at the world championship races. The best way to see our experiences is to watch Gavin’s video. Check it out! Multisport World Championships Ibiza 2023
The planning and preparation for international travel kept Dad occupied for months. In addition to travel plans, preparation for the races required a lot of attention as well. Passports, plane tickets, bike cases, bike transport, race gear. The list always seemed to grow.
When the day came to depart, Dad’s diligent work paid off. Everything came together perfectly. A good friend brought the bikes to the airport for us. We had a great flight and yummy food flying from Boston to London.
Our arrival in Ibiza was amazing! The Mediterranean climate warmly welcomed us. The scenes were gorgeous- especially the views from our resort. The food was delicious. It took us a little while to adapt to the local culture. Dinner starts at 7:00. We usually eat around 5:00, but we adjusted quickly. The leisurely dinner pace offered us plenty of time to chat. Mom attempted to mentally retrieve as much Spanish as she could from high school Spanish classes. Most of the people spoke English, but they humored Mom. Some wanted to practice their English with her (especially when they found out she’s an English teacher), and some told her not to bother trying to speak Spanish. We learned the different English terms for some of our common items. Non carbonated water is called water, no gas. What we call regular Coke, they call normal Coke. The Italian influence is strong. This enabled us to visit a different gelato shop almost every day!
Experiencing a new culture and a different part of the world was all part of this amazing trip, but we were really here for racing. We all enjoyed meeting racers from the United States, but we often found ourselves chatting with racers from other countries as well. Santa Eularia welcomed all participating countries with a wonderful parade of nations. Gavin and Brody quickly discovered how intense the competition is on the world stage. They raced their hardest and enjoyed the experience. After recently recovering from a torn ACL, Gavin’s knee presented some problems on his run. However, he persevered and pushed toward the finish line. His work paid off since it secured him the silver medal. Brody was one of the youngest athletes in his age category. The lessons he learned from this competition revealed to him areas in which he can improve. Competing at a young age grooms both of them for future competition. Chase was too young to compete, but he learned a lot by observing the entire process. We left with memories that our family will always treasure.
Team AFR 