A pack of charity motorcycle riders is camped out at the Topeka Service Area on the Kansas Turnpike, poised to merge back onto the
turnpike and head east with help from the Kansas Highway Patrol. Late this morning, the Kyle Petty Charity Ride entered the turnpike at the I-70 connection at the eastern edge of town, and was to continue east toward the turnpike’s Eastern Terminal. With troopers helping ease their merging into and out of traffic, the riders had stopped at the service area over the noon hour. Troopers will help them blend back in with traffic, so that they can continue toward the Eastern Terminal. Event organizers will pay the appropriate fares for each of the estimated 150 riders taking part, said Rachel Bell, a turnpike spokeswoman. Riders won’t be stopping at a toll booth, and instead will have their fares paid with a single check. The payment would be $322.50 for 150 motorcycles. But that could increase or decrease, depending on the actual number of motorcycles participating and whether some were hauling trailers. The turnpike has equipment to determine the number of axles per vehicle. Organizers contacted the turnpike ahead of time to make appropriate arrangements, Bell said.
“This group comes by every year, and so does the Run for the Wall,†she said. “We might have a couple others. It’s not a regular occurrence, but it’s also not something that’s out of the ordinary.â€