Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

news

President Obama leads tributes to White House aide killed in bike crash

Senior technology advisor Jake Brewer died in crash at charity cycle ride on Friday

President Obama has paid tribute to a White House senior technology advisor who was killed in a cycling crash while taking part in a charity ride in Maryland on Friday.
 
According to NBC News, Jake Brewer, aged 34, lost control of his bike on a bend while riding in the Ride to Conquer Cancer event, crossing the into the opposite carriageway and crashing into a Honda Pilot.

The 34-year-old’s wife Mary Katharine Ham is pregnant with their second child, and in an Instagram post published on Saturday she said: “We lost our Jake yesterday, and I lost part of my heart and the father of my sweet babies."

In a statement released on Saturday, President Obama said: "I am heartbroken at the tragic loss of one of my advisors, Jake Brewer.

"Simply put, Jake was one of the best. Armed with a brilliant mind, a big heart, and an insatiable desire to give back, Jake devoted his life to empowering people and making government work better for them,

"He worked to give citizens a louder voice in our society. He engaged our striving immigrants. He pushed for more transparency in our democracy. And he sought to expand opportunity for all."

President Obama added: "I've often said that today's younger generation is smarter, more determined, and more capable of making a difference than I was as a young man. Jake was proof of that," Obama said.

"Michelle and I are praying for all of Jake's family and his many friends, most of all his wife, Mary Katharine Ham, their daughter, Georgia, and their growing family. They'll always have a family here at the White House."

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

Latest Comments