Pike on a Bike, The White Line and the Fight for Pedestrian Safety

On July 29, 2023, a reckless driver hit and killed 17-year-old Magnus White, a U.S. National Team Cyclist, on the Diagonal Highway outside of Boulder. To raise awareness of thousands of pedestrians and cyclists killed annually by drivers, White’s parents, Michael (EnvDes’00) and Jill White (Mktg’99; MOrgMgmt’23), created a nonprofit called The White Line. 

In November 2024, the Pi Kappa Alpha (ΠKA) fraternity — known as ”Pike” — held a fundraiser on CU Boulder’s campus for The White Line and to honor Magnus White, who was a friend of several of the fraternity members. For six days, Pike members traded shifts riding outside on a stationary bike, even through a snowstorm. They rode near a memorial of more than 8,400 candles that represented each pedestrian or cyclist killed by a driver in 2023. 

“Looking out at the 8,423 candles was a true reminder of how valuable every single moment was,” said Graydon Abel (Fin’27), who helped create the fundraiser with his brother Gavin (Fin’27) and their fraternity brother Sebastian Edwards (Econ’27). “Change is needed, and we hope this effort makes a difference.”