A 59-year-old man from Yuma, Arizona, died after he lost control of his 1999 Suzuki motorcycle on Red Mountain Pass on Tuesday night, said Trooper Nathan Reed of the Colorado State Patrol.

Reed could not release the man’s identity because the victims’ advocate had not finished identifying his family. The crash happened around 8:20 p.m. at milepost 89.8, which is about a mile south of the rockslide area the Colorado Department of Transportation has been mitigating this year

“He lost control, skidding off the road,” Reed said. “Then he struck a curb-indicator sign and went off the cliff edge.”

The man was ejected from his motorcycle, which rolled several times before landing on top of him.

The rider was alone on his motorcycle, and Reed did not know if he was traveling with a companion. He was not wearing a helmet.

Red Mountain Pass was closed until just after 10:30 p.m.

abutler@durangoherald.com