Magnus White, 17-year old U.S. cyclist, dies after being hit by car in Colorado : NPR

A rising star in American biking, 17-year-old Magnus White, has died after a driver hit him whereas he was biking on the shoulder of a freeway in his hometown of Boulder, Colo.

White had been getting ready to go to Glasgow, Scotland, to compete within the Junior Males’s Mountain Bike Cross-Nation World Championships subsequent week.

A member of USA Biking’s junior males’s nationwide crew, White gained the 2021 USA Cyclocross Junior Males’s Nationwide Championship. He represented the U.S. in his first cyclocross world championship final 12 months in Fayetteville, Ark., and competed in his second earlier this 12 months within the Netherlands. (USA Biking describes cyclocross as a mixture of “road cycling, mountain biking and steeplechase.”)

“Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the tragic loss of our beloved son, Magnus White,” his dad and mom Michael and Jill White mentioned in an announcement Monday.

“Magnus was dedicated to his family and friends and loved to surround them with laughter. He had an amazing smile that always lit up the room, bringing joy to those around him.”

White’s ardour for biking began on the age of two on a strider bike, they mentioned, and he started racing at age 8. He grew up in Boulder and skilled with Boulder Junior Biking. He was additionally an avid skier and a dedicated scholar who aspired to attend enterprise faculty, in accordance with his web site. He deliberate to graduate from highschool a semester early so he might concentrate on worldwide competitors in spring 2024.

Along with his dad and mom, White is survived by his brother Eero. A household good friend has arrange a GoFundMe to assist the household, USA Biking confirms.

“Magnus was taken from us while doing what he loved most, riding his bike,” writes Christine Lipson, the fundraiser’s organizer.

“He began cycling when he was eight and quickly rose through the cycling ranks. Magnus’s journey in cycling was driven by a tireless work ethic and a deep desire to achieve his personal best. He was proud to represent his community and country around the world,” writes Lipson, whose son was an in depth good friend and teammate of White’s.

White was using on the shoulder of Freeway 119, generally known as the Diagonal, in Boulder on Saturday afternoon when he was hit by a 23-year-old lady driving a Toyota Matrix. The driving force crossed from the right-hand lane onto the shoulder, hanging White from behind earlier than she crashed right into a fence, in accordance with an incident report from the Colorado State Patrol. White was transported to the hospital and pronounced lifeless. The automobile’s driver was unhurt.

Neither medicine, alcohol nor extreme pace are suspected components within the crash, in accordance with the state patrol.

USA Biking mentioned in an announcement Sunday that White was a rising star in off-road biking and “his passion for cycling was evident through his racing and camaraderie with his teammates and local community.”

“We offer our heartfelt condolences to the White family, his teammates, friends, and the Boulder community during this incredibly difficult time,” the assertion continued. “We ride for Magnus.”