DENVER The driver accused of killing a rising U.S. cycling star in Boulder who was training for a world championship when he was fatally struck in 2023 is set to stand trial nearly two years after the deadly crash.Yeva Smilians ka, a refugee who fled Russias invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and who has been living in Colorado ever since, will stand trial for a charge of reckless vehicular homicide in the killing of 17-year-old Magnus White. Jury selection begins Monday.Magnus was on the verge of becoming a world-class cyclist when he was struck and killed on July 29 near Highway 119 and N. 63rd Street in Boulder. At the time of the crash, he was proudly wearing his Team USA jersey and training for the Junior Mountain Bike World Championships in Scotland, according to his family. Smilianska, who investigators said was asleep at the wheel at the time of the crash, denied the allegations and claimed there was a steering malfunction. Authorities, however, determined that her car and steering wheel were functioning properly at the time of the crash.Arresting documents show Smilianska was driving a 2004 Toyota Matrix and going about 60 mph southbound on Highway 119 around noon that day when she allegedly struck Magnus from behind. Investigators said there was no evidence of breaking on her part and that she had gotten roughly about 3 hours of sleep before the crash.She was arrested on Dec. 12 of that year, nearly 20 weeks after the deadly crash, and pleaded not guilty to the charge.At around the same time, Magnus parents Michael and Jill White announced they had created a nonprofit called The White Line to advocate for safer roads, help young cyclists compete around the world, and push to increase penalties for careless or reckless driving resulting in death.The nonprofit organized the Ride for Magnus: Ride for Your Life, which saw thousands of cyclists ride from the CU Boulder campus to Diagonal Highway, doubling back after passing a ghost bike marking the spot where Magnus White was killed last summer. Denver7 was there as thousands rode "The Ride for Magnus," an event organized by the White Line nonprofit, which is fighting for safer roads at the local, state and national levels. Thousands ride for Magnus White, a teen cyclist killed last summer in BoulderAt the end of last year, the family also worked with Democratic Rept. Joe Neguse to introduce the Magnus White Cyclist Safety Act. The bill, which expands on existing provisions finalized earlier this year by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), would require automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems to be installed on all new passenger motor vehicles.The bill wasnt picked up during the 118th Congress and has yet to be reintroduced this session. ...read more read less