17-year-old U.S. national team racer Magnus White killed by driver in Colorado. XC and cyclocross was on a training ride
White is not the only high-level cyclist to die in Colorado in recent years. In 2020, Clif Pro Team racer Ben Sonntag was killed by a driver while on a training ride outside Durango. That driver was sentenced to serve jail time in late 2021. In 2021, U.S. masters champion Gwen Inglis was killed by a driver outside Lakewood, Colorado.
It’s indeed a tragic situation. The deaths in Colorado might be related to the fact that the area is a popular training location for cyclists, particularly because of the high elevation, which can be beneficial for training the body to perform under lower oxygen conditions. This could lead to a higher number of cyclists on the roads, and subsequently, a greater risk of accidents.
I assume Colorado simply had a disproportionate number of cyclists on it's roads. High altitude and good weather make it a great training ground for endurance athletes. It isn't a coincidence that USA Cycling headquarters and the US Olympic Team's main training center are both in Colorado Springs.
Roads are really expensive, more so in the mountains. That’s why we tend to share them. Kinda crazy to build a whole separate road over there for bikes, instead of teaching drivers to be more careful of cyclists.
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