The life of 17-year-old US rising star Magnus White, who died in July when struck by a driver of a car as he trained for the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, will be honoured in the first film of a series launched by the non-profit The White Line Foundation.
The non-profit, started by White's family and funded by donations to Magnus' GoFundMe, which raised $145,190 as of this posting, announced they would launch a new film series called ‘Lives Worth Remembering,’ which will “pay tribute to fallen riders, celebrating the vibrant and dynamic lives they lived”. The first film in that series features the life, cycling career and impact on the community of White.
Magnus White was on a training ride near his home in Boulder, Colorado on July 31, preparing for the junior men’s cross-country competition at the Glasgow Worlds 10 days later, when he was struck by a driver of a car and killed.
A 10-minute teaser for the first film, ‘Lives Worth Remembering: Magnus White’ was made available this week on the YouTube channel for The White Line. The teaser begins with video footage of White as a small child riding a bike on a dirt path with his parents.
“Magnus loved to ride his bike. He always did. As soon as he could walk, he was basically straddling two wheels,” his mother Jill White is heard to say in the opening.
His father Michael White recounted that when their son was asked by a teacher ‘what do you want to be when you grow up, and you can’t be a professional athlete because everybody wants to be a professional athlete’, and he said that Magnus replied ‘you don’t understand, I’m going to be a professional cyclist’.
Magnus is seen accepting his US national championship jersey for men’s junior cyclocross in DuPage County, Illinois in December 2021. He would go on to compete at two UCI Cyclocross World Championships as a junior, finishing top 20 both times, and was selected to Team USA in 2023 to compete at the Mountain Bike World Championships.
“He’s forever a national champion,” said Michael White in the film about his son’s achievements.
A poignant clip in the film is from an outdoor camera at the White home in Boulder, Colorado, looking out to a short driveway and a street as Magnus rides off on his bicycle wearing a USA Cycling national team jersey. The screen caption reads, “July 29th 9:15 am, Magnus leaves the house for the last time”.
Magnus White did not return home. The 17-year-old high school senior died at the hospital from injuries sustained when he was hit from behind by a motorist while he rode his bike on the 10-foot wide shoulder of Colorado Highway 119. He was only 15 minutes away from his home, according to the bio at The White Line.
A full investigation is still ongoing in the case. According to local ABC affiliate Denver7, last updated in September, the 20th Judicial District Attorney’s Office will determine whether charges “are appropriate" for the identified motorist when the Colorado State Patrol concludes the investigation.
Pending the timeline with the investigation, the full film could be released in the next six months.
The family wants to use the “utter devastation” to save the lives of other vulnerable road users. The White Line has a number of initiatives, in addition to Lives Worth Remembering films, to promote cycling advocacy and “following Magnus’ lead and inspiring other to image and then achieve what first seems impossible, to set the pace and for other to follow, and to simply have fun on two wheels,” according to the website.
The organisation's mission is "To preserve, honor, and use the legacy of Magnus White to inspire cyclists globally, to support their development, to raise awareness of bicycle and automobile safety, and create change for safer cycling environments", according to the fundraising page.
The White Line Foundation is now accepting donations.
