The 2025 Bruce Whaley Spirit Capitol Classic Charity Ride is back! The ride will take place on October 5. The ride will offer both road and gravel options. This will be a charity ride to benefit the Kanza Rail-Trails Conservancy and the Landon Trail expansion. Read below for more information on the Kanza Rail-Trails Conservancy mission.

If you are unable to ride but would like to donate to the Kanza Rail-Trails Conservancy, we have provided a donation box on our BikeReg page for the ride.

The Kanza Rail-Trails Conservancy (KRTC)

The Kanza Rail-Trails Conservancy (KRTC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit Kansas corporation whose mission is to promote, build, and maintain rail trails. KRTC owns and manages the 38-mile Landon Nature Trail from Topeka south to Lomax Junction. This is a grassroots, non-profit organization relying totally on the efforts of local volunteers.

Private donations can be made on the website at https://www.kanzatrails.org/contact-contribute. 

The Landon Trail lies on nearly 40 miles of the former Missouri-Pacific Railroad linking Topeka’s Shunga Trail, southward, to Lomax Junction, and to the Flint Hills Trail just east of Pomona Lake in Osage County. Click here to view a map.

The eight-mile section between the bridge at Shawnee Heights road south of the Wakarusa River and the town of Overbrook has yet to be developed and funds are required to replace bridges along the old railway route before the roadbed can be cleared of ballast and new crushed limestone laid down.

This historic rail corridor is open to the public for non-motorized use on the developed sections. Visitors are invited to come out and enjoy activities such as hiking, biking, running, horseback riding, and experience some of the most breathtaking scenery in the Midwest.

Go to https://www.kanzatrails.org/ to learn more.

Ride Information

Date: Sunday, October 5, 2025
Start/Finish: Lake Shawnee Shelter House #1, 3400 SE Leisure Lane. Click here for a map.
Registration: 7:00-8:30 AM
Start Time: 8:00 AM (Last roll out 8:30 AM)

A SAG will be provided mid-route in Lecompton with restrooms. A lunch of pizza and drinks are included in your ride registration.

Routes

The road and gravel routes can be viewed on Ride with GPS below. Routes are tentative and subject to change based on construction/weather. Stay tuned to the club website and our KVBC Facebook page for updates.

Landon Trail Route – 30 Miles – Click here for full route

An additional route to explore the Landon Trail has been added. This is an easy flat route and will highlight the finished portion of the trail. Riders can go the full 15 miles to the end with multiple turnarounds points in between. Most bikes with good tires can make the trip.

Road – 40 Miles – Click here for full route

Gravel – 37 Miles – Click here for full route

Registration Fees

KVBC Members: $25
Non-KVBC Members: $30

Registration will stay open until the morning of the ride.

No refunds are available after September 28. A $5 fee will be deducted from all refunds.

Registration Options

Choose one of the three registration options: online, print, or day of (in person).

Online Registration

Click here to register online. Online registration opens August 13 and closes October 4, 2025, at 5 PM (central time).

Print Registration

Click here to download a print registration form: Bruce Whaley Capitol Classic Print Registration.

Complete the form and mail with your ride fee to:
Kaw Valley Bicycle Club
PO Box 4474
Topeka, KS 66604

All print registration forms must be received by October 4, 2025.

Day of Registration

You may also register the morning of the ride. Note: we are only able to accept cash or check payments.

Questions?

Questions about the ride can be emailed to kvbctopeka@yahoo.com

History of the Bruce Whaley Spirit Ride

The Bruce Whaley Spirit Ride is a benefit ride and a memorial to a young Topekan who passed away unexpectedly due to acute leukemia. In previous years the ride’s proceeds were donated to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for patient financial aid in the Topeka area.

Whaley made a trip in March 1995 with his girlfriend, Lana Schumaker. The couple spent spring break in the Southwest, skiing in Flagstaff and gambling in Laughlin.

Whaley returned Saturday, March 18 with a bad sunburn and a sore throat. He visited a doctor, fearing he had strep throat, was prescribed some antibiotics and told he should feel better by Monday morning.

But on Monday, March 20, Whaley was in an emergency room. He lapsed into a coma and died of a previously undiagnosed rare form of leukemia.

Whaley’s family accepted his bachelor’s degree from Washburn University. Getting his son’s degree was important because of how hard he worked on his studies, said his father, Darrell Whaley. “Sometimes he would study 24 hours a day getting ready for a test, and then crash after he took it.”

“After his grandmother died…Bruce just sat down and decided that he was going to do well in school. It was something he could do for her,” Schumaker said.

Whaley needed only one more 4-hour flight to obtain his pilot’s license. He was about to finish in just one year a program which took most students several years to complete.

Whaley was a Staff Sergeant serving as Crew Chief with the 190th Air Refueling Group, Kansas ANG, from 1989 until his untimely death in 1995. He participated on worldwide deployments with his team and aircraft. He was a veteran of Desert Shield.

Sister Loretto Marie, of St. Francis Hospital where he worked since 1992, described him as “a dedicated employee who was well-liked by his coworkers,” someone who “did his best to relieve patients’ worries.”

The ride was originally a project of the nurses and physicians in the rehabilitation area of St. Francis Hospital where Bruce worked. It was called the Spirit Ride. Most of the participants were employees of St. Francis, and Bruce Whaley was an active participant. Bruce juggled his job in transportation at St. Francis, his classes at Washburn, and service in the Air National Guard with many athletic activities. Bruce frequently introduced employees to bike riding by challenging them to join him on the Spirit Ride.

When acute leukemia unexpectedly and abruptly claimed his life at age 24, friends and family were stunned. Everyone remembered Bruce as always smiling, whatever the circumstances. He was easy-going but hard-working, loved challenges and never took the easy way out. In addition to cycling, he loved snow and water skiing, and was as passionate about flying private aircraft as he was about writing poetry.

Bruce’s family actively participates in the planning and support of the ride. The renaming of the Spirit Ride is a tribute to the memory of Bruce Whaley and the spirit for life he displayed.