BOULDER, Colo. — Magnus White, a cyclist on USA Cycling’s junior men’s national team, was killed Saturday after he was struck by a vehicle during a training ride near his Colorado home. He was 17.
White, who was scheduled to race at the upcoming world championships in Scotland, died near Boulder, ESPN reported. His death was announced by USA Cycling in a statement on Sunday.
“He was a rising star in the off-road cycling scene and his passion for cycling was evident through his racing and camaraderie with his teammates and local community,” USA Cycling said. “We offer our heartfelt condolences to the White family, his teammates, friends, and the Boulder community during this incredibly difficult time.”
It is with an extremely heavy heart that we share the news that 17-year-old Magnus White has passed away in a training accident.
— USA Cycling (@usacycling) July 30, 2023
Please read USA Cycling's statement in Memory of Magnus White: https://t.co/vZryL710K8 pic.twitter.com/q8CCkJnYdL
White was riding on Colorado Highway 119 -- known as the Diagonal Highway -- north of Boulder when he was hit by a Toyota Matrix driven by a 23-year-old woman from Westminster, Colorado State Patrol Trooper Gabriel Moltrer told The Denver Post.
Moltrer said the Matrix apparently crossed onto the shoulder of the highway, according to the newspaper.
White was pronounced dead at an area hospital, Sports Illustrated reported. The woman was not injured.
White’s parents said in a statement that their son’s passion for cycling was stoked when he received his first strider bike when he was 2 years old, according to the Post.
Michael and Jill White said their son was an “incredibly self-motivated cyclist who was just reaching his potential.”
White won a junior national championship in cyclocross in 2021 and earned a spot on the U.S. national team, ESPN reported. He competed with the squad in Europe before last year’s cyclocross world championships, and he was selected to represent the U.S. this year at the cyclocross world championships in the Netherlands, the cable sports news outlet reported.
“White fell in love with cycling at an early age through Boulder Junior Cycling,” USA Cycling said in its statement. “He was a rising star in the off-road cycling scene and his passion for cycling was evident through his racing and camaraderie with his teammates and local community.”
Michael Robson, who coached White for six years, said that the cyclist “made the hardest thing to do look easy.”
“He had this effortless grace about him,” Robson told the Post. “He was always his absolute best self and an incredible role model for the other kids.”
The crash is still under investigation, the Post reported. Drugs, alcohol, and speed “are not suspected” as factors in the crash, Moltrer said.
“We’re suffering,” Robson told the newspaper.
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