Magnus White, a 17-year-old “rising star” in competitive cycling, died after being hit by a car in Colorado while he was training for the world championships, state police and USA Cycling, which governs the sport, said.
White excels at cyclocross, an international sport in which racers compete on a course of multiple surfaces, including pavement and trail, and take their bikes through off-road obstacles. He is a junior member of USA Cycling, the Colorado Springs-based organization said.
White was hit by a car Saturday in Boulder County, which has a population of about 320,000 and is in the north-central part of the state known for its rugged mountains, foothills, trails and the campus of the University of Colorado at Boulder.
He is on the north-south stretch of Highway 119 known as the Diagonal, which runs between Boulder and Longmont. The road is so often used by cyclists that local and state authorities are working on a long-term plan to add a separate bike trail down its middle.
Around 12:30 p.m., White was riding his endurance road bicycle southbound on the shoulder of the highway when a Toyota Matrix struck him from behind, throwing him off the bike, Trooper Gabriel Moltrer, a public information officer for the Colorado State Patrol, said Monday. White was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Mr. Moltrer.
There was no indication that drugs, alcohol or speeding were involved, and the driver was not injured in the accident, which occurred northeast of Boulder, Mr. Moltrer said.
White is a junior member of the 2023 Cyclocross World Championship team, USA Cycling said. He is making final preparations before leaving for Glasgow to compete in the Junior Men’s Mountain Bike Cross-Country World Championships on August 10, it said.
“He is a rising star in the off-road cycling scene,” the organization said, “and his passion for cycling is evident through his racing and friendships with his teammates and local community.”
Cyclocross was invented about 100 years ago in Europe as an off-season training regimen for road-bike racers. Its appeal gained momentum in the United States in the early 2000s.
Most competitors modify their road bikes with knobby tires and other structural modifications to allow for better clearance as they navigate paved roads, hills, stairs and other obstacles. obstacle during the race.
“Since the cyclocross season usually runs from September to February, the races are often plagued by adverse weather conditions such as snow, rain, wind and mud – all of which add to the allure of the sport,” USA Cycling said.
White started cycling when he was 8, and the sport became his “greatest joy in life,” his family said in a statement. He received competitive training with Boulder Junior Cycling, which develops young athletes in the sport. White was inspired by his Colorado childhood of biking and skiing, he wrote to her websiteand eventually became an ambitious athlete emerging on the international stage.
On his Instagram account, White described the rugged challenges of the sport, whether pushing a muddy ride, fight against food poisoning or overcome a broken chain during a race.
In 2021, White won the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships, and in 2022, he participated in his first world championship in Fayetteville, Ark., puts 25th in the junior division. In 2023, he competed in his second world championship in Hoogerheide, Netherlands, enter the 20th in the under-19 group.
“These global events gave me a deeper understanding of the global dynamics of the sport and allowed me to measure myself against the best riders in the world,” White wrote.
White described the upcoming mountain bike race championship in Scotland as a “new and exciting chapter of my cycling career”.
