Other motorcyclists who were practicing during Thursday morning’s final run told a Gazette reporter that a fellow racer, whom they did not name, had started the course behind them, but did not to make it to the summit.

“I saw one of the motorcyclists crying, hugging one of his friends,” said Gazette photographer Logan Riely, who was on the mountain covering the practice.

The practice round involved a three-mile stretch that began at Devil’s Playground and continued to the summit.

Shortly before 9 a.m., race officials closed the route and held media members and other participants at the summit while emergency crews responded to the scene, including a fire truck and an ambulance.

As emergency crews were dealing with the accident scene, a storm moved across the summit of Pikes Peak, and medical personnel had to evaluate six people after a vehicle was struck by lightning just after noon, according to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. Five of the people were assessed and cleared, while the sixth was still being evaluated by medical crews, said Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Jacqueline Kirby.

Kirby said two lightning strikes were reported, one at 12:01 p.m, and the other at 12:03 p.m. Thursday. It was unclear which one hit the vehicle.

Meteorologists in Pueblo counted more than a dozen lighting strikes near the mountain’s summit in a 15-minute span shortly after noon.

“It’s quite extensive,” meteorologist Steve Hodanish said of the storm.

As of 2014, there had been five deaths in the 92-year history of the Hill Climb. Last year, motorcycle racer Bobby Goodin, 54, died during competition. He lost control of his bike moments after crossing the finish line  as he slowed on the gravel parking lot atop Pikes Peak. The accident sent his bike tumbling up into the air, and he landed on large rocks downslope.

Source: Motorcyclist ID’d in fatal Pikes Peak Hill Climb crash.