Seventeen-year-old American cyclist Magnus White, who was scheduled to race at the upcoming world championships in Scotland, was killed Saturday when he was struck by a vehicle on a training ride near his home in Boulder, Colorado.
“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 in a statement released on Sunday. “We offer our heartfelt condolences to the White family, his teammates, friends, and the Boulder community during this incredibly difficult time.”
White began racing at a national level when he was 10 and credited his father for introducing him to the sport.
“When I was growing up, my dad really got me into cycling because he raced road, then I discovered my local team [Boulder Junior Cycling], which has some really great coaches who got me where I am today,” White said in his profile on the USA Cycling website.
White was a rising multidisciplinary star, winning a junior national championship in cyclocross in 2021 and earning a place on the US national team. He competed with the team in Europe before last year’s cyclocross world championships, and he was picked to represent the US again at this year’s cyclocross worlds in the Netherlands. He was also a talented skier, according to a fundraising page set up in his memory.
White began to compete in road cycling and mountain biking this season. He was on one of his final training rides before the junior world mountain bike championships in Scotland, when he was killed.
He is survived by his parents, Michael and Jill, and his brother, Eero.