Welcome to the First Ascent Blog.

As the rain thunders on the roof I fondly think back to the holiday past, two weeks of climbing in the glorious sunshine of Turkey. It definitely felt a lifetime ago as I was desperately trying to get feeling back in my fingers mid-route at Raven Tor on Sunday, it's not sport climbing season yet in the UK...   So, back to Turkey. Geyikbayiri, the largest developed sport climbing area in Turkey, is located just 20 km west of the city of Antalya on the south coast. The city sports a large airport which receives flights from all over the UK at reasonable prices. We decided to hire a rental car as we would be moving around a bit but most accommodation in Geyikbayiri offers an airport shuttle service so if you're just going for the climbing, it's not necessary. The climbing is phenomenal, as good as anything at the popular crags of Spain such as Rodellar and Siruana but with minimal polish and very few people. We enjoyed many days in perfect conditions without seeing another pair of climbers, and this was in the middle of the Easter weekend! I would recommend a week in Geyikbayiri to anyone, it has world-class, untapped climbing in a beautiful setting. The only down side is that in the village there are no amenities so either stock up in Antalya or be prepared to pay European prices for food at the guesthouses/campsites. Comprehensive articles about Geyikbayiri can be found on UKClimbing (http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=134) and Rock + Run blog (http://info.rockrun.com/articles/sport-climbing-in-antalya-geyikbayiri.html).   For the second week of our trip we headed south to the famous backpacker hangout of Olympos via some beautiful Lycian ruins set in blue water bays. Olympos is a surreal place which almost entirely consists of garish but loveable treehouse themed accommodation. The main bonus here was that you could haggle accommodation down to as low as £10 each a night for an en-suite room with all you can eat breakfast and dinner! good news for someone who enjoys eating as much as me! The setting is beautiful though, a mountain framed valley which leads to an idillic walk amongst more Lycian ruins to a pebble beach. It's pretty unique to be able to see snow-capped mountains from where you are snorkelling with more fantastic climbing just down the beach. The climbing is not as abundant here but it is still pretty unique with the stand-out crag for me being Cennet (translated 'Heaven'). Only about 10 meters from the sea, this smooth crag shoots straight out of the dirt at 90 degrees for 50 metres giving highly technical climbing on small holds on a sheer face. To quote the guide book 'there is so much to do on rest days you will barely hve time to climb' and they weren't wrong. In Olympus you can rent anything from quadbikes and mountain bikes to SCUBA gear and sea kayaks and walking parts of the Lycian way is unforgettable.   Both of these areas can be found in the excellent guide book from the chief developer of climbing in Turkey, Ozturk Kayikci (http://www.cordee.co.uk/Climbing-Guide-to-Antalya-%28Turkey%29-det-0-0-0-358.html?search=antalya&stype=All&schcat=0&schtext=a&schtype=0).   It was good while it lasted but like all good things it had to come to an end and I have returned to my training dungeon. Here I shall remain until the Cornice dries out once again....   The stunning walls of Geyikbayiri   Lycian ruins of Myra   A typical route of Cennet   The sunset view from Cennet toward Olympos

This week I head out for the Tour of Malta cycling stage race. It consists of two time trial stages and two road stages. First Ascent has provided me with funding and clothing for this event which will be a brilliant experience for me to race with some professional teams.   I plan to use this as a training event to help support my triathlon performance and as always it will help me to be recognised within the cycling world. Female cycling stage races are difficult to find as it is still very much a male dominated sport. I will keep you all informed on how I go. Without First Ascent, wider racing experience like this would be limited, so thanks guys.   With Love Di

Cyclocross racing started last September with the aim of some fun and off-season training. However there is some sort of addictive bug you catch from cyclocross and I was as competitive as ever, cyclocross very quickly became an important focus for me last winter as I was in with a shout for national rankings. Cyclocross is off road cycling and a blend between road and mountain biking. I started the local league and my first few races were memorable. I clearly had the speed on the straights, I had the killer instinct that I was just going to hit it hard and give it my all. I’m not saying this tactic didn’t work but it was vey clear I wasn’t the most stylish rider on the course. I was possibly just the most competitive and aggressive (in a good way off course). I watched my female competitors and some were very good technically and were experienced in the various, specific cyclocross skills. I have great respect for all the girls out there racing in cycling as it still is pretty male dominated.  I gained a few 2nd and 3rd places in the Notts and Derby league races at the beginning of the season and realised if I was to win the league and race at National level the only way to get there was PRACTICE. I painfully learnt the main skills involved, flying mounts, dismounts, manual lifts, carrying technique and general bike handling. When I say painfully it was not the time it takes it was the bruises, pedals in the shins and not to mention the flying mounts that definitely hurt when you get them wrong. However there is nothing like pain to ensure you learn to do it right. I practiced regularly and it paid off. I got stronger in each race as I became more confident and was smoother. I looked like a cyclist rather than a triathlete. Triathletes don’t normally have to deal with tree roots, steps, mud, hurdles and off camber banks with more mud. I was used to smooth roads and flowing bends. I have to confess I loved the mud so the more muddy it got, the better it got for me as I have good power from my road cycling which helped. The full Notts and Derby cyclocross league consists of 16 races with your top ten results to count.  I did 12 of the races. I won 9. I also raced in 4 other cyclocross league races at other counties where I achieved 4 more 1st places. With my results I was clocking up my points for the national rankings.   This brings me on to the Midlands, regional and National races. I was invited to the Inter County Champs which is a team event. Myself, Sarah Naylor and Lucy Garner (Newly crowned Junior World  road race champion) rode strongly for the East Midlands team and we won.  I also rode the Midlands Championships, where I got my first real taste of how many hugely talented riders there where out there.  I came 7th. I thought this was ok but my coach Gary McCaffery did not agree. He knew I could do better!  So I carried on training and training some more. Then I headed off to the National Trophy series. In my two races at Derby and Shrewsbury, I achieved 11thand 5th places. These races were a  great experience for me and I learnt a lot about tactics and pacing. Finally it was the main competition of the year the National Championships at Ipswich here I was racing the very best in the UK, including seasoned professional riders who compete regularly on the continent, and it was my time for everything to go right. The course really suited me, fast and flowing with not too many over technical areas. I was happy with my preparation and the course and placed  9thoverall in the senior women’s race. For me this was an excellent achievement for my first year racing cross, especially as I beat a number of riders who have represented GB in international events.   By the end of the season I was ranked overall as 5th female rider in GB. It wasn’t the easiest journey, cyclocross involved a lot of crashes, bumps and bruises, but I guess that’s the nature of cyclocross, we all have highs and lows. It can be anyone’s race and it’s never over until you cross that finish line. I had a wobble in the middle of the season after a nasty pile up, it took me some time to regain my confidence but there were definitely more positives than negatives and I was completely hooked. I have had a brilliant season and would like to thank all my sponsors for their support, the coaching from Matlock Cycling club and, as ever, my personal coach and pit/mechanic man Gary McCaffery. Cyclocross was seriously cold at times so a special thanks to Raidlight for all the cold weather gear. My main plans now are road cycling and triathlons, I am racing in the Tour of Malta in March and my main targeted triathlon will be the Mont Ventoux event in September, where I will compete as defending Champion. For more details and news regarding my performance visit www.resultsfitnessandswimming.co.uk.   Happy riding,  Di Lee  

I've been into climbing for over 20 years and I've always fancied building my own training wall. Having moved house in October to somewhere with enough garage space, I finally got the opportunity to put my plans into action. I did have one major constraint, the need to still be able to get my wife's car in the garage. Building started around Christmas and I'm really pleased with the results. I've incorporated several elements including traverses, an overhang, a crimp slab and even novelty holds for my son. There's bound to be tweeks here and there, but overall I'm as happy as Larry