The White Line organization has announced the “Ride for Magnus: Ride for Your Life” memorial bike ride event in honor of 17-year-old American cyclist Magnus White, who died last July after being struck by a driver on Diagonal Highway.
According to a press release, organizers said the ride, which is set to be held on Aug. 11, will be a call for “legislative and infrastructure changes to make American roads safe for all those who use them.”
“This ride is important for so many reasons,” Magnus’ father Michael White said. “First, it’s a heartfelt tribute to our son, Magnus, whose memory we will honor with every pedal stroke. Second, it is a rallying cry for change. The number of cyclist and pedestrian fatalities is rising dramatically, influenced by many factors, and can no longer be ignored. Increasingly, evidence suggests that driver behavior is the primary contributor to these deaths. It is crucial that we address driver behavior and reform penalties immediately.”
On the day of the event, riders will leave Farrand Field at the University of Colorado Boulder campus at 10 a.m. and ride along parts of the route White rode the day he was killed before stopping at his memorial site on Diagonal Highway just south of the 63rd Street intersection, according to the release.
During the memorial, the entire westbound lanes of Diagonal HIghway will be closed to vehicle traffic, organizers said. The riders will then return to campus for a rally, where organizers will voice legislative efforts by The White Line.
The entire loop will cover 13.5 miles with minimal elevation change, according to the release, and a virtual option will be available for those wishing to join from out of the area.
The proceeds from the ride will go toward The White Line Foundation, formed by White’s parents after his death. The ride is supported by “It Could Be Me,” a non-profit advocacy organization founded in 2019 by an elite triathlete who was nearly killed by a driver in Boulder County and “Ride for Your Life,” a movement that advocates for road safety following the death of a biker in Maryland.
On Monday, organizers also announced the launch of a film series called, “Lives Worth Remembering” which will highlight the “stories of cyclists and other vulnerable road users killed while obeying traffic laws.”
“The series underscores the urgent need for political action and addresses the societal failures that contribute to these tragedies. We believe we can create political and societal change by harnessing the power of human empathy and highlighting the true impact of loss,” organizers wrote in the release.
The first episode of the series was shown at The White Line’s Friday fundraising dinner in which the organization said they raised essential funds to support the non-profit and it’s initiatives.
At 12:33 p.m. July 29, White was riding his Trek Model Emonda SL 7 bike southbound on Diagonal Highway just south of the 63rd Street intersection when he was hit by a woman driving a Toyota Matrix that had crossed from the righthand lane into the shoulder, according to Colorado State Patrol.
White was thrown from his bike and transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
White was a rising multidisciplinary star, winning a junior national championship in cyclocross in 2021 and earning a place on the U.S. national team. He competed with the team in Europe ahead of last year’s cyclocross world championships, and he was picked to represent the U.S. again at this year’s cyclocross worlds in the Netherlands.
White was on one of his final training rides before the junior world mountain bike championships in Glasgow, Scotland, when the crash occurred.
