Magnus White’s cycling resume had the potential for him to become one of the sports’ brightest stars.
Last summer, the 17-year-old was finishing up a training ride in preparation for the world mountain bike championships in Scotland when he was struck and killed by a driver just 15 minutes away from his home.
White’s potential is gone. But, his star will never dim in the minds of thousands of cyclists from around the world who are participating in the Ride For Magnus: Ride For Your Life Sunday.
“We certainly want to just curl up and grieve and we do that a lot. The world would totally respect us if we did that. And, I don't think Magnus would respect us if we did that. And we want him to be proud of us as parents,” said Michael White, his father. “And so (we’re) using the power of his story to make change and make change quickly.”
The mostly flat route of the Sunday’s ride is 13.5 miles to and from the location where White was killed near Gunbarrel. All 50 states and more than 20 countries will be represented during the event, organizers say. After, there will be a rally at Farrand Field on the CU Boulder campus.
“He always made time for people who wanted to talk to him. And he was just a good kid, a dedicated fan to the sport,” said Jill White, his mother. “He loved those national international competitions where he can cheer on his teammates and those who are older and younger than him, and he would just stick around. So he was just an all around good kid and an amazing teammate.”
White won the 2021 Junior 17-18 Cyclocross National Championship and raced for the USA Cycling Team for two seasons of European Cyclocross racing. He also competed in the 2022 and 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Championships.
While the ride is being held to honor White’s memory, his parents through their nonprofit organization The White Line Foundation, are hoping to bring awareness for the safety of all vulnerable road users through legislation on the local, state, and federal levels.
“I think a lot of people have paid attention and a lot of people continue to pay attention. And if someone like Magnus in his stature or future cycling star of America can be struck and killed, anybody really can be struck and killed,” Michael White said. “He knew how to ride the roads. He knew how to ride safely.”
Locally, the Whites are hoping that state officials fast track bicycle and transportation projects starting with the North Foothills Bikeway from Boulder to Lyons that runs along US 36. They hope that the project is completed by 2029.
On the state level, they are asking for increased penalties for vehicular homicide in Colorado. Careless driving resulting in death is a misdemeanor traffic offense that carries a penalty of up to 90 days in jail. Reckless driving resulting in death — vehicular homicide — is a felony that could result in two to six years in prison and a minimum $2,000 fine.
The driver accused of hitting and killing White, Yeva Smilianska, pleaded not guilty to felony vehicular homicide in May. According to the arrest affidavit, the 23-year-old was driving a 2004 Toyota Matrix southbound on Highway 119 just south of 63rd Street in Boulder at the time of the accident.
Smilianska told officers that she lost control of the vehicle due to a steering malfunction. Her trial is set for December 16.
The Whites are pushing for a new federal rule that requires U.S. automobiles to have Automatic Emergency Breaking (AEB) that detect and prevent collisions with cyclists and motorcyclists.
“We saw one of the most prominent American cyclists get killed on our roads by a car. And to me, that is an indication of the depth of the crisis that we're facing in America with traffic violence,” said Dan Langenkamp, founder of Ride For Life Movement. “And we are seeing this over and over and over and over again, people that don't deserve to die getting killed. And it's not OK.”
Data from the Colorado Department of Transportation shows traffic deaths declined in 2023 for the first time since 2019. There were 716 fatalities on Colorado roads that year — a 6 percent decrease from the previous year. Among them, there were 20 deaths involving cyclists — a 33 percent increase from 2022.
Since White’s death, his parents have been grateful for the support they have received when they share his story.
“He loved his bike and the fact that he can't ride that anymore, I know it bums him out. And I know he wouldn't want anyone else to not be able to ride their bike,” said Jill White. “He knew how much it means to those who love to ride their bikes. So, I think he would be proud of us for what we're doing.”
The Ride For Magnus: Ride For You Life begins at 10 a.m. in Parking Lot 360 at CU Boulder.
