By: Sammy Wang
On July 29th, 2023, 17-year-old American cyclist Magus White died when hit by a car while training near his home in Boulder, Colorado.
White was preparing for the Junior Men’s Mountain Bike Cross-Country World Championships in Scotland around 12:30 p.m. when a 23-year-old woman hit him. The woman was uninjured, but an ambulance moved White to a nearby hospital, where he died.
White played Cyclocross, where bikers raced on multiple surfaces like pavements and trails. White was a “rising star” in competitive cyclocross cycling and a part of the 2023 Cyclocross World Championship team for the U.S.A.
“He was a rising star in the off-road cycling scene,” the Cyclocross World Championship organization said, “and his passion for cycling was evident through his racing and camaraderie with his teammates and the local community.”
White’s passion for cycling started when he was eight, and he received training from the Boulder Junior Cycling program, which helps young bikers grow. At ten years old, he was already racing at the national level.
“My journey in the world of cycling is driven by personal achievement and a deep desire to represent my community and country on the global stage.” White wrote on his website.
In 2021, White won the U.S.A. Cycling Cyclocross National Championships, and in 2022 he competed in his first World Championship. In 2023, he participated in his second world championship. White wrote that these events helped him better understand the sport and improve himself.
White’s parents, Michael and Jill White, his brother and a friend’s mother, have put up a GoFundMe in honor of his life.
“Magnus was taken from us while doing what he loved most, riding his bike,” they wrote.
USA Cycling published an article honoring White, saying that community will remember him for his passion for cycling.
“We offer our heartfelt condolences to the White family, his teammates, friends, and the Boulder community during this incredibly difficult time. We ride for Mangus.” They concluded at the end of the article.
White’s GoFundMe has reached around $120,000 as of August 2.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/31/sports/magnus-white-us-cycling-dead.html