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. He catapulted over the guardrail and fell approximately 35 feet into the river, in water about a foot deep, Whalen said. Verhaaren, who would have turned 43 next week, leaves behind a wife, Bridget, and three young children; Ansel, Helena and Karl. He received a bachelor's degree in accounting from Brigham Young University and a law degree from the New York University School of Law. He was an avid cyclist and was the managing director of Universal Equity Group Funds Arizona. 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. 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.
– 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.