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SANDPOINT — If anyone is looking for inspiration to attempt the Chafe 150 Gran Fondo, they need look no further than Calgary’s Jerry Schwartz, who plans to saddle up for an 80-mile ride on Saturday.

Schwartz’s longest previous ride is just 50 miles, or 80 kilometers in his neck of the woods. He’ll need to tack on another 30 miles on top of that to finish on Saturday.

Oh, did we mention he’s the oldest rider in the field, and that he just started cycling two years ago? So what possessed Schwartz to tackle a ride that is just six miles short of his actual age?

“I’m 86, I still want to have a few walls to climb over,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it. It’s a long time to be on a bike.”

A lifelong skier, the retired Schwartz decided to give biking a try a couple years ago, noting his son is an avid cyclist.

He was quickly hooked, churning out the miles on both pavement and in spin classes while losing 25 pounds and admitting the activity helped changed his life.

“I thought ‘wow, this is so much fun,’” he recalled after his first ride.

“It’s addicting, it’s weird. You get out there and work, and you say ‘why am I doing this?’ It’s fun. It’s weird.”

One of his spin instructors is Laura Connolly, who lives part of the year in Sandpoint and convinced Schwartz to give the Chafe ride a try. He’s been training hard all winter in spin classes, including two one-hour classes and one two-hour class each week.

He admits that while he might be the oldest rider, he’s really a novice cyclist, and if he can get off the couch and into onto a bike seat, anyone can.

And if you still need more inspiration, did we mention Schwartz has two metal hips?

“One is pretty good,” he claimed, flashing some of the toughness Canadians are known for. “The other one I try to ignore.”

Eric Plummer can be reached by email at eplummer@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow him on Twitter @EricDailyBee.