text: By Jon Larson 
   
   JACKSON HOLE, Wyo.— Tragedy struck LOTOJA Saturday afternoon as one of the competitors died before reaching the finish line. Details are still somewhat unclear, but roughly 18 miles south of Jackson Hole, Rob Verhaaren tumbled over the side of a bridge and into the Snake River. 
   
   Verhaaren fell roughly 30 or 40 feet into the river, and was later pronounced dead at an area hospital. 
   
   Verhaaren, who would have turned 43 next week, leaves behind a wife, Bridget, and three young children; Ansel, Helena and Karl. Ansel and Helena also have birthdays next week, Tuesday and Saturday respectively. 
   
   Verhaaren received a B.S. degree in accounting from Brigham Young University, magna cum laude, and a J.D. from the New York University School of Law. His most recent position was the Managing Director of Universal Equity Group Funds Arizona. 
   
   According to Jay Larson, Verhaaren’s neighbor in Mesa, Ariz., Rob and Bridget were both avid cyclists and loved the sport because it kept them fit and healthy. 
   
   “His whole family is awesome,” Larson said. “They would bend over backwards for anyone.” 
   
   Just this past Monday, the Verhaaren family was out putting up flags in their neighborhood to celebrate Labor Day. 
   
   Verhaaren was a beloved scoutmaster who wanted his scouts to have memorable experiences. One time, without permission, Verhaaren registered his troop into a lottery for a chance to go spend their summer camp on Catalina Island at Camp Emerald Bay. The troop was lucky and thanks to him, more than 30 boys had the opportunity to go to California this past summer. 
   
   The Verhaaren family is no stranger to cycling accidents. Bridget crashed earlier this year, breaking her hand and separating her shoulder. 
   
   Olympic BMX cyclist, Arielle Martin, wife to Rob’s brother Michael, was also in an accident recently. Her experience at the London Games ended before it truly began as she crashed during a practice run a few days before her event. Since then, Martin has undergone numerous surgeries to repair damage to her liver and one of her lungs. 
   
   Dave Collins, one of Verhaaren’s training partners, nearly lost his life in 2009 during a cycling accident of his own. He collided with a car and went through one of the windows, severing his carotid artery. Luckily, an ER doctor was close by and was able to stop the bleeding before it was too late. 
   
   Race spokesman Dave Bern says the 206-mile race also was marred by serious accidents in Idaho and Wyoming that sent two bicyclists to the hospital and by flat tires experienced by roughly 200 cyclists early on. 
   
   He says it's the first fatality in the race's 30-year history. 
   
   LOTOJA, the annual race from Logan, Utah to Jackson Hole, Wyoming is the longest single-day bike race in the country at roughly 206 miles and is sanctioned by USA Cycling. ||||| A cyclist competing in the popular LOTOJA bike race died Saturday night after crashing his bicycle and falling into the Snake River in Wyoming. 
   
   JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — A cyclist competing in the popular LOTOJA bike race died Saturday night after crashing his bicycle and falling into the Snake River in Wyoming. 
   
   Robert Verhaaren, 42, a Mesa Arizona resident, was approximately 8 miles south of the town of Jackson on Highway 89 when he crossed a bridge over the Snake River and came upon a hazard in the roadway, believed to be a pothole, according to a press release by Sheriff Jim Whalen with Teton County. 
   
   "Verhaaren swerved to miss the hazard, over-corrected, lost control of the bicycle and crashed into the guardrail," Whalen said. He catapulted over the guardrail and fell approximately 35 feet into the river, in water about a foot deep, Whalen said. 
   
   Other racers stopped and rendered aid until medical personnel arrived. Verhaaren was later pronounced dead at St. John's Hospital in Jackson. Coroner Kiley Campbell said the initial examination revealed Varharren suffered a possible cervical fracture. Deputies on scene reported minor abrasions on his face and minimal bleeding, according to Whalen. More details on the actual cause of death were not released. 
   
   Some local residents have complained about the poor roads in that stretch of the race. The guardrail is reportedly 2 feet high, Whalen said that it did not appear to be a high rail. 
   
   "We are questioning (the pot holes)," said Dave Bern, LOTOJA communications director. "There is some rough ground (there)." 
   
   Bern said that LOTOJA — named for the race that stretches from Logan to Jackson Hole, Wyo. — has been going over that bridge for 30 years. 
   
   "We've been fortunate, just blessed. People have been careful, motorists have been careful and this didn't even involve a car," Bern said. "We always thought that it would involve a car." 
   
   Representatives from the Wyoming Department of Transportation were not available for comment. 
   
   Verhaaren leaves behind a wife and three children. He was an avid cyclist and was the managing director of Universal Equity Group Funds Arizona. He received a bachelor's degree in accounting from Brigham Young University and a law degree from the New York University School of Law. 
   
   Verhaaren's brother, Michael, is married to Olympic BMX cyclist Arielle Martin, whose injuries in an Olympic practice run prevented her from competing this summer. 
   
   "Seeing life through new lenses today. Unbelievably devastated," Martin posted on her Twitter account Sunday. 
   
   LOTOJA, at 206 miles, is the longest single-day bike race in the country and annually draws approximately 1,000 cyclists from all around the United States. 
   
   Contributor: Jeff Finley 
   
   — Julian Reyes 
   
   Twitter: @_JulianReyes_
target: – An Arizona father of three plunged to his death from a bridge during a 206-mile bike race Saturday. Robert Verhaaren, 42, veered to avoid a pothole and catapulted over a guardrail over the Snake River in Wyoming, falling 35 feet into shallow water just eight miles from the finish line in the LoToJa race, reports the Cache Valley Daily. It was the first death in the history of the 30-year-old race. "it's the worst thing that can happen," a member of the race support team told the Jackson Hole News & Guide. “It’s always our greatest fear.” It "was devastating for us to lose a member of our LoToJa family," said race spokesman Dave Bern. "Unfortunately, these things go along with bicycle racing. Cycling is not for the risk averse." To date, "we've been fortunate," he told the Deseret News. "People have been careful, motorists have been careful." The contest, the longest single-day bike race in the country, starts in Logan, Utah, and ends in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Two other racers ended up in the hospital after serious accidents in Idaho and Wyoming.