Yes, I believe Kim did warn me that Quimby was "a good workout", and I knew it was a hard hill. But I really had NO IDEA. I haven't ridden with Kim much, so had no idea what her hill-climbing ability was. Most people I ride with think Metcalf is "a hard hill". This was NOT Metcalf.
I got out my bike map this morning and compared the two roads. Metcalf goes up to 1000 feet. Quimby reaches 2204, and does not look like it's twice as long to get twice as high. Anyone know what the grades are on those switchbacks? They looked positively insane coming back down. Made me feel a little better about having such a hard time getting up them.
To Kim's credit, she was very patient and encouraging, and she even says she'll ride with me again. To my credit, I did make it to the top, even if I had to stop once. And going back down was not nearly as terrifying as I had expected. Maybe I can get used to steep downhills?
So now that it's over, and I've had a day to recover, I want to do it again. Really. On a COOLER day, when I can take my time getting over there (NOT right before work), and when I haven't ridden hard in the heat the day before. And we'll see if I can make it up in one pass.
-Theresa
Theresa,
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
I use a 2.3 factor to compare my Metcalf and Quimby times. That means if you can do a 20 minute Metcalf, then you should be able to do a 46 minute Quimby.
I cut Quimby into thirds. The bottom third is pretty gentle of 7% and also has that flat section. Then you start in on the middle third, and I compare this to a Metcalf grade as it's about 10%. Finally you have the top third, which is all steep, at about 13% or higher. On the double-switchback on the upper turn, the grade at the white line is 18%, but if you feel strong you can move out to the yellow line and have a 25% grade. That whole top straightaway is 13%.
-Donny