Magnus White, a 17-year-old “rising star” in aggressive biking, has died after being hit by a automotive in Colorado whereas he was coaching for the world championships, the state police and U.S.A. Cycling, the game’s governing physique, stated.
White excelled in cyclocross, a world sport wherein racers compete on a course of a number of surfaces, together with pavement and trails, and carry their bicycles over off-road obstacles. He was a junior member of U.S.A. Cycling, the Colorado Springs-based group said.
White was struck by a automotive on Saturday in Boulder County, which has a inhabitants of about 320,000 and is within the north-central a part of the state recognized for its rugged mountains, foothills, trails and the University of Colorado campus in Boulder.
He was on a north-south stretch of Highway 119 often called the Diagonal, which runs between Boulder and Longmont. The street is so often used by cyclists that native and state authorities are engaged on a long-term plan so as to add a separate bike path in the midst of it.
At about 12:30 p.m., White was using his endurance street bicycle southbound on the shoulder of the freeway when a Toyota Matrix struck him from behind, ejecting him from the bicycle, Trooper Gabriel Moltrer, a public info officer for the Colorado State Patrol, stated on Monday. White was taken to a hospital, the place he was pronounced lifeless, Mr. Moltrer stated.
There was no indication that medication, alcohol or extreme pace have been concerned, and the motive force was not injured within the accident, which befell northeast of Boulder, Mr. Moltrer stated.
White was a junior member of the 2023 Cyclocross World Championship group, U.S.A. Cycling stated. He was making remaining preparations earlier than leaving for Glasgow to compete within the Junior Men’s Mountain Bike Cross-Country World Championships on Aug. 10, it stated.
“He was a rising star in the off-road cycling scene,” the group stated, “and his passion for cycling was evident through his racing and camaraderie with his teammates and local community.”
Cyclocross was invented about 100 years in the past in Europe as an low season coaching routine for road-bike racers. Its enchantment gained momentum in the United States in the early 2000s.
Most opponents modify their street bikes with knobby tires and different structural alterations to permit for higher clearance as they navigate paved roads, hills, stairs and different obstacles throughout the race.
“Since the cyclocross season generally takes place from September to February, races are often times plagued with adverse weather conditions such as snow, rain, wind and mud — all of which add to the sport’s allure,” U.S.A. Cycling said.
White began biking when he was 8, and the game grew to become his “greatest joy in life,” his household said in a statement. He obtained aggressive coaching with Boulder Junior Cycling, which develops younger athletes within the sport. White was spurred on by his Colorado childhood of biking and snowboarding, he wrote on his website, and later developed into an formidable athlete who was rising on the worldwide stage.
On his Instagram account, White described the rugged challenges of the game, whether or not pushing by a muddy ride, battling food poisoning or overcoming a snapped chain throughout a race.
In 2021, White gained the U.S.A. Cycling Cyclocross National Championships, and in 2022, he participated in his first world championship in Fayetteville, Ark., inserting 25th within the junior division. In 2023, he competed in his second world championship in Hoogerheide, the Netherlands, coming in 20th within the under-19 group.
“These global events provided me with a deeper understanding of the international dynamics of the sport and allowed me to measure myself against the world’s best riders,” White wrote.
White had described the upcoming mountain bike race championship in Scotland as a “new and exciting chapter of my cycling career.”
