Team USA cyclist Magnus White was supposed to race in the Mountain Bike World Championship in Scotland Thursday. Instead, his family is mourning his death.
The 17 year old was hit and killed while cycling in Boulder County last month. Boulder Junior Cycling Coach Michael Robson had planned to get up early to watch Magnus compete.
"It feels pretty different, this is not what it's supposed to be," Michael Robson, White's coach, said at his Boulder County home. "I was watching course previews for the course in Scotland [this morning] and started thinking about how much [Magnus] would have loved that course and just would have shredded it and, I don’t know, it’s sad we’re doing this and he wasn’t doing that."
According to Colorado State Patrol (CSP), the crash happened around 12:33 p.m. on southbound Highway 119 past North 63rd Street on July 30. A Toyota Matrix, driven by a 23-year-old woman, was driving southbound when the vehicle went onto the shoulder, hitting the back of White's bike. Authorities said White was injured and taken the hospital, where he later died.
Days after the crash, the CSP said they did not believe drugs, alcohol or excessive speed were factors.
Magnus White was training to compete in the Junior Men’s Mountain Bike Cross-Country World Championships at the time of the crash. He was set to start his senior year of high school in a few weeks. On Thursday, White's parents shared a photo of the jersey he was wearing at the time of the crash, a Team USA jersey.
"I mean, it really drives home the reality of what happened," Robson said in regard to the photo of the jersey. "I feel like as hard as it is to look at, that kind of graphic is really important for people to see. You know this is the consequences of your actions. These are the consequences of the things we do in our lives, and I feel like it’s important for people to see that."
Robson said he hopes people see more than the consequences of this incident. He wants people to see the support that has rallied in the Boulder cycling community. According to Robson, more than 700 people attended White's memorial service. Many who attended biked there, including his parents.
"You know, one thing that’s come up a lot is, 'What would Magnus do? What would Magnus say if he was looking at this?'" Robson asks. "You know, I don’t think he’d back down from any of this and [White's parents] are not doing it. They basically have to drive on his legacy, and that’s what they’re committed to doing."
White's parents released a new statement on Thursday:
"Today, our son Magnus was supposed to be representing the USA while racing the Mountain Bike World Championships in Scotland. Instead, we are addressing you because Magnus was struck and killed by a driver while training for that race. He was proudly wearing his Team USA jersey when he died. Our family rode our bicycles to Magnus’s memorial. He would’ve wanted that. We were heartened to remember and share stories about our son with over 750 friends, family and community members. Magnus found his passion early in life and was fully dedicated to it. He never sought a shortcut, and did the work necessary to achieve every audacious goal he set for himself."
"Though our grief feels unbearable, we will carry on because Magnus would expect nothing less. To quote his favorite childhood book when he was younger, “We can’t go over it. We can’t go under it. We’ve got to go through it.” Magnus was a gift to us and the universe will never explain why he was taken from us. We are so grateful for the outpouring of support from our community in all its forms. We will honor your commitment to Magnus and use your generous donations to support his legacy. Once we know what this will look like, we will share those plans with you. An investigation is underway. We do not yet know why Magnus was killed while riding his bike on a designated bike route, on a straight road with a wide shoulder, in broad daylight. We fully support the Colorado State Patrol continuing the investigation, and encourage any witnesses to contact CSP Dispatch: 303.239.4501 and reference Case #1D232999."
A GoFundMe has raised nearly $140,000. Robson said it was too soon to say what the family plans to do with the donated funds, but that they will use them to support White's legacy.
9NEWS reached out to CSP on Thursday to see if there were any updates in the case and has yet to hear back.
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