Copper cyclist excited about 500-mile trek

Shelley Marenka Smail can’t wait to ride her bike by the ocean.

“It’s really peaceful,” said Smail, a former competitive endurance athlete, who now trains similar athletes through her Copperopolis-based company Get On Your Mark.

On Saturday, Smail, 54, will begin her journey on the 2008 Amgen California Coast Classic, a 525-mile coastal bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The event is a fund-raiser for the Arthritis Foundation.

“I always wanted to ride the coast of California and this is an opportunity to raise money for a good cause,” Smail said.

It’s also a cause Smail can relate to. A former competitive runner, she suffers from osteoarthritis in her knees and started cycling as an alternative to running.

“It’s a great alternative sport, especially for athletic baby boomers like me, whose bodies are beat up from running,” she said. “And it’s a sport almost anyone can do, no matter what age they are.”

The 2008 Amgen California Coast Classic will take riders from San Francisco to Santa Cruz, Monterey, Big Sur, San Simeon, Pismo Beach, Solvang, Ventura and eventually Los Angeles, culminating in Santa Monica on Saturday, Sept. 27.

Last year, the ride raised more than $1.3 million.

“Being on a bike for eight days, exploring the different areas, it’s going to be fun,” Smail said.

For information on training with Smail, go to getonyourmark.com.

Contact Jeremy D. Malamed at sports@calaverasenterprise.com