This weekend, 4,000 people from all 50 states and more than 20 countries gathered to ride or walk in one of the largest commemorative rides for this purpose in U.S. history.
Ride for Magnus: Ride for Your Life calls for immediate action to prevent cyclist and pedestrian fatalities nationwide. Organized by The White Line, the ride is dedicated to 17-year-old cyclist Magnus White, a member of the U.S. National Cycling Team, who was killed by a car driver in Boulder on July 29, 2023, just days before competing in the Mountain Bike Cross Country World Championships in Scotland.
Magnus was one of America’s most promising young cyclists and was also the U.S. Junior Cyclocross Champion. His life ended abruptly when he was hit by a car while cycling on Diagonal Highway in Boulder.
His parents, Jill and Michael White, founded The White Line in December 2023 to inspire cyclists around the world and commemorate those who have lost their lives too soon. The organization is committed to the safety of all vulnerable road users and aims to be a voice for creating safer road environments.
“Nothing we’re ever going to do is going to bring our Magnus back because the system we have now has failed him,” said Michael White. “If Magnus had been just a quarter of a second faster or slower, he’d be here and none of this would be happening.”
After an emotional farewell Sunday morning, the cyclists left Farrand Field on the CU Boulder campus. The bikers followed a 13.5-mile route that took them along Folsom Street to Jay Road, then onto Colo. 119, and finally to the spot where Magnus was struck. The cyclists then headed back to Farrand Field for a rally.
“We must all work together to save lives and protect vulnerable road users,” Governor Jared Polis said at the rally. Since taking office in 2019, Polis has signed 26 bills aimed at improving access to safe biking and walking.
According to Michael White, the number of cyclists injured and killed by car drivers is higher than ever before. The number of pedestrians is at its highest level since 1981.
“More than 1,100 cyclists were killed last year. Over 46,000 were injured. More than 7,500 pedestrians were killed and over 67,000 injured. All of the victims were motorists,” he said.
The event offered a small insight into the grief and pain that Magnus White’s family has endured over the past year.
In their north Boulder home, a picture of Magnus sits on the mantel, along with his ashes, a flag given to him by U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse, and two Lego cars his friends built in his honor on his birthday.
“I texted him, ‘You know what are you going to do if you can’t ride a bike?'” Jill White said. “And he said, ‘Can you just buy me some Legos? I just want to make some Legos.’ And those were the two Legos he texted me. So his friends made those Legos for him for his birthday.”
Magnus’ presence is felt in every corner of the house. A stranger might interpret subtle details – his untouched room, his Subaru parked on the street – as a teenager who is home but just can’t be found.
“When you go into his room, you feel like him,” his mother said.
But Magnus’s possessions also serve as a reminder of the family’s loss. His Subaru now bears the license plate “4MAGNUS.” The family’s bicycles in the garage remain largely untouched. And the basement serves as a makeshift storage room for all of The White Line’s shirts and merchandise.
The Whites say the past year has left them exhausted: organizing the Ride For Magnus event, mourning their son and witnessing an ongoing criminal trial.
“That’s a lot, Magnus,” said Jill White, resting her head in her hands. “That’s a lot. But it’s for you, Magnus.”
“It gives me strength to look at Magnus,” his father said, staring tearfully at the picture of Magnus on the mantelpiece. “I just want Magnus to be proud of me.”
Two weeks after Magnus’ death, Michael White went through his son’s phone and decided to start posting on Instagram.
“Two weeks after he died, I was just laying in his bed and looking at other people’s stories or social media accounts and they just stop when they die and it breaks my heart. I just laid there and took a beautiful photo of Magnus cycling up a hill. It literally looks like he’s cycling to heaven. And I just wrote that we’re going to keep his Instagram alive,” said Michael White.
Since then, family, friends, teammates and competitors – even people who have had just one conversation with Magnus – have shared memories and photos.
“We share all of that, and that keeps his spirit alive,” Michael White said.
Michael White also traveled around Europe last year to place “Ride For Magnus” plaques on the routes that Magnus rode.
“The Whites deserve tremendous credit for turning their grief into action,” said Dan Langenkamp, organizer of the first Ride For Your Life event. “I know this myself, because as someone who is grieving the loss of his own wife, it takes a lot of energy. It’s heartbreaking to do these interviews and take on this organization.”
Langenkamp lost his wife in 2022 when she was struck and killed by a truck driver in Bethesda, Maryland.
After his wife died, Langenkamp vowed to take action. Since then, he has organized five “Ride For Your Life” events across the country.
“That’s the important thing about this weekend,” Langenkamp said. “We’re seeing a huge response to this ride, and it’s because people are saying it’s not OK that people are dying on our roads. The response to the Magnus story is a response that says, ‘If our cycling champions are being killed, then we have a huge problem in America.'”
Ride for Magnus is designed to force changes in safety laws and infrastructure. Organizers are pushing for three major changes at the national, state and local levels.
First, they are pushing for a new federal regulation that would require U.S. automobiles to be equipped with automatic emergency braking systems that can detect and prevent collisions with cyclists and motorcyclists. A study by the International Institute of Highway Safety found that emergency braking systems for cyclists could prevent 52% of all fatal crashes between cyclists and cars.
Second, advocates are calling for increased penalties for vehicular manslaughter in Colorado. Currently, “reckless driving causing death” is a traffic violation and “reckless driving causing death” is a Class IV felony of vehicular manslaughter, with non-mandatory penalties often resulting in probation and no jail time.
Finally, advocates want state agencies to speed up the planning and construction of bike and pedestrian projects. First, they need to ensure that the North Foothills Bikeway project, which connects Boulder to Lyons along U.S. 36, is fast-tracked and completed by 2029, since that route is used by 90,000 cyclists each year.
“Traffic violence is unacceptable on any level. Magnus’ death was tragic and could have been prevented,” said Jenn Dice, president and CEO of PeopleForBikes, a national bicycle organization.
According to Dice, 1,084 people died on bicycles in 2022.
“And each and every one of those people was important,” she added.
Pete Webber, Magnus’ cycling coach and executive director of Boulder Junior Cycling, stressed the need for urgent action, pointing out that government processes and public infrastructure projects are often painfully slow. Ride for Magnus is a call for change that demonstrates a shared commitment to safer streets and underscores communities’ demand for greater safety for cyclists.
“Thousands of people are raising their voices. Government leaders will see thousands of citizens demanding this and I think they will be more motivated to implement projects that improve safety,” Webber said.
One of the biggest concerns about bicycle safety remains the lack of bicycle infrastructure and safe places for cyclists, Webber said. Although improvements have been slow since the incident, the state legislature passed a hands-free cell phone law this year that will take effect next year. This law is a small step toward reducing distracted driving and improving safety for all road users.
“Magnus lived his life to the fullest and was full of passion. With what we do, I want to do that for him and put all my passion into it,” said Jill White.
“We come together to call for action. Magnus is watching us and now is the time,” Dice added.
Editor Nicky Andrews contributed to this report.
