Magnus White, a U.S. cycling 'rising star,' dies at age 17 after being hit by vehicle while training

American cyclist Magnus White, 17, died Saturday after he was struck by a vehicle on a training ride near his home in Boulder, Colorado, USA Cycling said in a statement Sunday.

He was scheduled to compete at the upcoming Junior Men’s Mountain Bike Cross-Country World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, on Aug. 10.

“He was a rising star in the off-road cycling scene and his passion for cycling was evident through his racing and camaraderie with his teammates and local community,” USA Cycling said.

White was wearing a helmet as he rode south on the shoulder of Colorado State Highway 119 when a 23-year-old Colorado woman in a Toyota Matrix drove onto the shoulder from the right lane and hit him from behind, Colorado Highway Patrol told The New York Post. The impact reportedly threw White off the bike as the Toyota continued to move off the right side of the road and down an embankment before it was stopped by a fence, according to the report.

White died at the hospital. The driver was reportedly not injured.

The crash is still being investigated and authorities do not believe alcohol, drugs or speeding were involved, according to The Post.

Racing at the national level since he was a 10-year-old, White was already a decorated cyclist. He won the Junior 17-18 Cyclocross national championship in 2021 and went on to compete for the USA Cycling National Team for the European Cyclocross racing season. He was selected to represent the U.S. again at the 2023 Cyclocross World Championships in the Netherlands in February.

Mountain biking was a new avenue for White, around which he was set to center his entire summer.

White is survived by his brother, Eero, and his parents, Jill and Michael. A GoFundMe in his memory had surpassed $80,000 as of Monday afternoon.