Magnus White’s Parents Want the ‘Ride for Magnus’ to be the Biggest Advocacy Ride in History

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July 29 will mark one year since rising U.S. cycling star Magnus White was killed by a driver in Boulder, Colorado. The national team member was training for junior mountain bike worlds when he was struck and killed just a few miles from his home.

In the year since his death, White’s parents Michael and Jill have created a charitable foundation, The White Line Foundation, and become staunch activists for safer roads for pedestrians and cyclists.

To mark the anniversary of Magnus’ death and put pressure on local and national leaders for change, the White family and The White Line Foundation are hosting the The Ride for Magnus: Ride for Your Life on August 11 in Boulder.

They hope it will be the largest advocacy bike ride in the nation’s history.

The Ride for Magnus: Ride for Your Life will retrace part of Magnus’ route he road the day he was killed. The ride will depart from the University of Colorado, Boulder campus, and riders will stop at the site where Magnus was struck and then return to the university for a rally.

The route is 13.5 miles and features minimal elevation change. Additionally, for those nationwide wishing to join, a virtual ride option will be available. There will also be a walking route around the CU Boulder campus. More information can be found here.

Colorado state and national leaders will participate in the event, including members of Colorado’s U.S. congressional delegation, Colorado governor Jared Polis, Federal Highway Administration Administrator Shalein Bhatt, Trek president John Burke, and cycling and safe streets advocates.

According to a press release from The White Line Foundation, 7,508 pedestrians died in traffic incidents in 2022, the highest number since 1981.1,084 bicyclists died the same year, the highest number ever recorded.

In December, Yeva Smilianska, 23, was charged with vehicular homicide in the death of 17-year-old Magnus White.

The Ride for Magnus: Ride for Your Life will attempt to push Congress to pass new legislation requiring vehicle manufacturers to include automatic emergency braking systems that detect cyclists in new cars (new regulations currently only call for AEB for pedestrians), as well as stiffer penalties for those guilty of vehicular homicide and immediate improvements to specific dangerous local cycling routes.

The Ride for Magnus is the fifth Ride for Your Life event, with others held since 2022 to commemorate the deaths of loved ones in Washington, D.C, Madison, Wisconsin, and Saskatoon, Canada. Those events led to the passage of new legislation to protect cyclists in Maryland and federal appropriations to protect cyclists and pedestrians in the United States.

Proceeds from the ride will benefit The White Line Foundation.