On Saturday, Graydon Abel will mount a stationary bike on the University of Colorado Boulder’s campus and ride for three hours straight in memory of his close friend Magnus White, who was killed on July 29, 2023 when he was struck by a driver on Diagonal Highway.

Each minute Abel rides will represent a cyclist killed in U.S. road incidents in 2022. After he dismounts, about 100 other fraternity brothers from Pi Kappa Alpha will ride the bike in non-stop for the next five days, a total of 8,423 minutes.

“The event emphasizes awareness and the need for urgent road safety, reforms and the immediate action required to prevent further tragedies,” Puthuff said. “It needs to happen now because bikers are dying pretty much daily, weekly. They’re just not getting what they deserve.”

The brothers will each ride for at least an hour throughout the day and night in an effort to raise $100,000 for The White Line; an organization set up in White’s honor that calls for increased penalties; vehicle automatic emergency braking; and bike safety infrastructure.

At least three of the participating fraternity members knew White closely from Boulder High School and the youth cycling community in Boulder. Abel said he moved to Boulder when he was in his sophomore year of high school and became really close with White.

“As a friend, Magnus was always the adventurous one,” Abel said. “There was never a lack of fun when you were with him … He was a funny person, great to be around, caring, kind. As a teammate, he would always be a couple minutes ahead of you on the race course but once you were crossing the finish line he’d be there cheering you on.”

Abel was in the fraternity’s study room brainstorming what the organization would do for its philanthropic event this semester when he and a couple other brothers thought of honoring White.

“We’re in a time and place right now where this is a very relevant event and a very important issue that’s going on in our country,” Abel said. “I obviously had the great opportunity of being friends with Magnus and knowing his parents and just being super involved in the cycling community, so we thought, what better way to give back to that by raising money for The White Line.”

Tony Puthuff, president of PIKE, said the group came to him with the idea and he “approved it instantly.”

“I thought our goal was going to be around $10,000 or $20,000 but Michael White was like $100,000,” Puthuff said.

Magnus White’s dad, Michael White, spoke to the fraternity members about the foundation before Puthuff sent out the sign up sheet.

“It filled out instantly,” Puthuff said.

The event will start at 5:05 p.m. Saturday and last until 12:28 p.m. Nov. 11, the exact time of day that White was fatally struck. For the final minute, the bike will be riderless and a moment of silence will commence to recognize White.

“We’re not only riding for Magnus, and we’re riding for something bigger than Magnus,” Abel said.

The bike was purchased by The White Line and will be located under a tent by the fountains outside of the UMC. The public is welcome to come by during the event to support the riders, who will also be able to be watched via a livestream.

Abel and Puthuff both said they want awareness to stretch beyond the CU Boulder campus, with hopes of reaching a national audience.

“We’re trying to raise awareness for this issue across the country, this issue is not something that is simply just going on in Boulder,” Abel said. “There needs to be better laws for cyclists, penalties are not harsh enough, we need to truly instill into drivers that you cannot be on your phones when you’re on the roads.”

In a press release, Magnus White’s parents wrote that they couldn’t be prouder of the initiative.

“They’re in charge of putting on the event; from the event logo, securing the location, to the website and pledging platform. It’s impressive to see the drive these young men have in honor of victims of traffic violence,” Michael and Jill White wrote.

The event comes after thousands participated in the ‘Ride For Magnus’ event in Boulder in August.

Those interested in learning more, donating or viewing the livestream, can visit pikeonabike.com.