Daily Archives: September 15, 2022

Oceania Cruises has reprised its Around the World in 180 Days voyage for 2025, albeit in a east-to-west navigation.

Also, due to high demand for longer, destination-immersive voyages, Oceania has introduced aseries of seven Grand Voyagesranging in length from 50 to 111 days.

The 180-day world cruise departs Miami on Jan. 5, 2025, visiting 32 countries and 89 ports.

From Miami, the 656-guest Insignia heads south to Brazil before crossing the Atlantic for Africa. On the way to South Africa, the crossing features a call in the uninhabited volcanic isle of Tristan da Cunha.

The Insignia then continues east toward Asia, exploring islands in the Indian Ocean along the way -- the French Comoros, Maldives and Seychelles.

After visiting countries such as Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and Indonesia, the ship will sail south along the west coast of Australia. During a navigation of the South Pacific, the Insignia will call at Champagne Bay on Vanuatu along and French Polynesia islands. The cruise ends in Hawaii.

See the article here:

Oceania unveils world cruise and other long voyages for 2025 - Travel Weekly

Cruising the Baltic Sea, there are plenty of fascinating if not downright surprising shore excursions to enjoy across Scandinavia and eastern Europe.

While some travellers postpone their plans to take a Baltic cruise, others book a shore excursion to a Soviet nuclear missile base.

On another tour, when an F-16 flies overhead, the guide says it shows Russia were watching them, and we carry on tasting Danish wines. The next day, in a Swedish village, a man with a crossbow walks toward a crowd of people brandishing swords, and everyone cheers.

Oceania Marinas 10-night cruise from Copenhagen is full of surprises. For a start, the itinerary has changed since Saint Petersburg was scrapped, but the revised line-up is exceptional.

The ship calls at seven countries, so each morning delivers a different culture, cuisine, language and landscape.

Ports of call include Kiel, Germany; the small island of Bornholm, Denmark; Klaipda, a harbour town in Lithuania; Riga, the architectural and cultural capital of Latvia; the cobblestoned beauties of Tallinn, Estonia, and Visby, Sweden; Helsinki and Kotka, in Finland; and an overnight stay in Stockholm.

The optional shore excursions are as diverse as the destinations. There are visits to farms, palaces, breweries, a former concentration camp, a Nordic sauna and an ice bar. Activities range from extreme rafting and forest hiking to a speedboat adventure around the Finnish archipelago. A selection of Oceania Exclusive tours is limited to 16 guests sightseeing by bus, or small groups on guided bike tours.

For travellers who dont want to be tourists, on Go Local outings youll spend the day walking, catching public transport, grabbing snacks in cafes and shopping in supermarkets.

Our trip to the Plokstine Missile Base and Cold War Museum, in north-west Lithuania, is fascinating but also entertaining, as we have a local guide with a great sense of humour and the most sober driver in Lithuania. The former launch site is a labyrinth of tunnels, command rooms, exhibits of military items and propaganda posters, and the huge shaft where ballistic missiles were stored around 30 metres underground for almost two decades (19621978).

On the day we visit Visby, it happens to be Medieval Week, which explains the hundreds of people with weapons. Dressed up in costumes, they re-enact battle scenes, complete with jousting and music, or parade around the streets as knights, queens and peasants. Every other week of the year, the walled Old Town is an enchanting place to explore Gothic church ruins, the impressive Saint Marys Cathedral and wooden cottages covered in roses, enclosed within 13th-century stone fortifications.

The Danish winery is one of the stops on the Taste of Bornholm tour. Peacocks wander around the vines as the quirky owner, Jasper, introduces us to his 500-kilogram, cola-guzzling pig, before we sample strawberry wine and honey schnapps. Afterwards, we go to a sausage factory and a smoked-fish caf to try the local delicacies with a beer.

Food and wine tours are popular on Oceania, which is renowned for its fine cuisine, drawing epicureans from Australia, the US, UK and Europe. A new Latvian cooking class is held in the ships Culinary Center, after guests go shopping for ingredients with the chef in a local market ashore. Another lunch excursion is held in a photography museums zero-waste restaurant, Fotografiska, in Tallinn recently awarded a Michelin green star.

Dining onboard is an absolute highlight. Dinner at the four specialty restaurants Jacques (French), Toscana (Italian), Red Ginger (Asian) and Polo Grill (American steakhouse) is included in fares, making it possible to enjoy each one twice. The buffet, poolside grill and 24-hour room service are complimentary, too.

In the two years since Australians have cruised overseas, many improvements have been made, as the executive team kept working to finesse the food and beverages.We have not rested on our laurels, said Howard Sherman, president and CEO of Oceania Cruises. Throughout the pandemic we have continued to innovate and to challenge ourselves to raise the bar to delight our guests. We announced the second phase of culinary enhancements rolling out across the fleet. Together with thoughtfully crafted dining experiences, menus and elevated service levels, this next phase brings new wine-tasting programs, expanded in-room dining offerings and a souffl of the day in the Grand Dining Room.

The souffles certainly deserve special mention: green apple martini, chestnut and pear, pistachio and cherry, lime and limoncello, and Grand Marnier, to name a few.When sitting down to four or five courses seems too much, Marina has plenty of peaceful hideaways. On select evenings, local wines, spirits and market-fresh tapas are served in Baristas, a quiet venue next to the library. The poolside grill is also handy for a gourmet burger or salad from an extensive menu.

Room service is the obvious alternative to restaurants. Among the new dishes available for in-room dining are an Alaskan salmon burger, Hawaiian pok bowl, Thai coconut red curry, miso ramen soup, and chocolate mousse cake. Hot breakfasts can also be delivered, free of charge, to cabins and suites.

Chef Alexis Quaretti, director of culinary programs, has been busy developing new recipes for Oceanias next ship, Vista, set to be launched in April 2023.We are not a cruise line to do molecular cuisine. Whats very important to me is simplicity: the taste, the ingredients and the execution of the dishes, he said. By the time we open Vista, we will have more than 400 new recipes, which will eventually align with the rest of the fleet.

Vista will also introduce a fantastic new cocktail list in its Casino Mixology Bar and restaurants, which we previewed on our cruise on Marina. The crowd-pleaser was anything made with a flavour blaster device, which produces a bubble that floats in the air before bursting into a puff of smoke when it lands on the drink. Other favourites include the Picante (tequila, apricot liqueur, honey syrup, chili and coriander), Monkey Business (whiskey, banana liqueur, egg white) and First Avenue (bourbon, Pimms, sweet vermouth, St-Germain elderflower liqueur).

In a partnership with Lyres, the non-alcoholic spirits company founded by two Australians, mocktails have also been perfected. No-Groni (a booze-free negroni) and Orchard Fizz (made with Lyres amaretti, fresh lemon juice, apple juice and maple syrup) are refreshingly delicious. Pierre Zro, a French non-alcoholic wine, is also available.

Back on the Marina, I spend a silly amount of time in my Penthouse Suite, relaxing on the private balcony, and calling my fabulous butler. This accommodation category includes his services, assisting with spa appointments, shore excursion bookings, dinner reservations, collecting my laundry (three bags are complimentary), and delivering room service. One evening, I order from the main dining room menu, and he serves the three courses at my ocean-view table in the comfort of my room. Wearing a bathrobe, I watch a movie while I eat, then walk a few steps to the bathroom for a bath, before crawling into bed with a book.

Sometimes its the simple, solo things that feel most luxurious.

The ship itself is beautiful and spacious. The contemporary dcor exudes a casual elegance, from the sparkling chandeliers to the Owners Suites furnished in Ralph Lauren Home. Marina is scheduled for a major refurbishment next year, which is set to be unveiled in November 2023. Every surface of every suite and stateroom will be new, and bathrooms will be upgraded with oversized showers. Public spaces, such as the theatre, bars and restaurants, will see new custom-made furniture, subtle lighting and plush carpets. For fans of al fresco dining, a new poolside trattoria will serve wood-fired pizzas, salads and desserts, and a standalone milkshake bar will scoop up ice-cream within a few steps of your sunlounge.

Oceania Cruisess four 656-passenger ships Regatta, Insignia, Nautica and Sirena have already been revamped, while Marinas 1,210-passenger sister ship, Riviera, will reveal its fresh look in December 2022.

Although this Baltic itinerary wont operate next year, the fleet offers several voyages that visit many of the same places, including some departing from London. According to Sherman, passengers have enjoyed the replacement ports in stunning locations.

We have had positive feedback from our loyal past guests who love to explore the beauty and wonder of Northern Europe in the summertime. From the striking natural beauty of the UNESCO-protected Curonian Spit, near Klaipeda, to the medieval charm of Old Town in Tallinn, and the cosmopolitan capital of Latvia, Riga, the destinations that we visit on this cruise are truly astounding, Sherman said.

At Oceania Cruises, we go to great lengths to ensure that we provide guests with a carefully curated mix of experiences designed for seasoned travellers seeking a slice of the local culture.

Visit oceaniacruises.com

A similar 10-night cruise will be offered next year, departing from London on June 21, 2023. Ports of call include Kiel, Berlin (Warnemunde), Bornholm, Visby, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Oslo. Fares start at AUD$4,180 per person, twin share.

A 10-night cruise departing London on July 16, 2024, calls at Kiel, Berlin, Bornholm, Visby, Stockholm, Klaipeda, Gdansk (Poland) and Copenhagen. Fares start at AUD$4,780 per person twin share.

Oceania Cruises has dropped its requirements for COVID-19 vaccinations and testing. Vaccinated passengers no longer need to show negative test results pre-cruise. From September 2022, unvaccinated passengers can also sail, but they will need to take a test within 72 hours of boarding.

According to Howard Sherman, president and CEO, Oceania Cruises, the response to the relaxed rules has been overwhelmingly positive, with a spike in bookings the week after the announcement.

We continue to navigate the pandemic as it evolves to keep people as safe as possible, and we think were striking the right balance, he said. Cruise was the only form of tourism that required vaccination, so there were people on the sidelines waiting for a further relaxation of the travel protocols, and now we can welcome them back to cruising.

See more here:

Sailing to the Baltic Sea's top port cities with Oceania - Cruise Passenger

Andy Jackson/Stuff

The tanker driver had to be extricated from the cab of the vehicle after it went of the road and rolled near Glenavy. (File photo)

An Oceania Dairy contract milk tanker driver, who was trapped in the cab of his truck after it rolled near Glenavy on Tuesday night, was taken to Timaru Hospital with moderate injuries.

A St John spokesperson said two ambulances and a Prime doctor were sent to the crash on Pikes Point Rd at 7.19pm.

We assessed and treated one patient with moderate injuries who was transported to Timaru Hospital, the spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for Oceania Dairy confirmed the driver was a contractor for the company and was involved in the incident on Tuesday evening.

READ MORE:* One moderate injury in two vehicle crash in Timaru

Thankfully, the driver was uninjured but spent the night in hospital for observation. We will provide ongoing support to the driver, the spokesperson said.

Some milk was spilled on to a farm and was quickly cleaned up. No waterways were affected. The contractor has notified ECan and Waimate District Council.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesperson Lyn Crosson said a fire crew from Glenavy and another from Waimate also responded.

Crosson said the driver was trapped in the cab when crews arrived and had to be extricated.

The driver had been removed from the truck and was in the care of St John ambulance staff by 7.50pm, Crosson said.

The crews were concerned about of some spillage from the truck and the regional council was advised.

On Wednesday morning, Acting Sergeant Jeff Brown, of Timaru, said enquiries into the incident are ongoing, but confirmed the weather was poor when the incident occurred.

Environment Canterbury southern zone lead Peter Burt said the milk was contained in a farmers paddock until it was removed by the companys spill response team using a sucker truck the same evening.

Our role is to advise, support and investigate the clean-up process, which was undertaken last night by Hilton Haulages spill team, Burt said.

Throughout the process, Environment Canterbury staff were in touch with the spill response team and the event was documented and reported.

Two staff attended the scene today to check the outcome of the clean-up.

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Oceania Dairy tanker driver injured after truck rolls in South Cantebury - Stuff

The study also found that over a decade, death rates did not change significantly for ankylosing spondylitis but decreased for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Significant geographic disparities exist among mortality rates for spondyloarthritis (SPA) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) across the globe, according to a new study, which found that over a decade, mortality rates did not change significantly for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) but decreased for IBD.

The researchers drew on data from the World Health Organization, which found that in 2015, the global age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) for AS was 0.13 deaths per million people and for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) was 0.04, significantly lower than the ASMR for Crohn disease (CD) (0.86) and for ulcerative colitis (UC) (0.76).

On the one hand, it should be noted that the prevalence as well as the incidence of IBD is higher than that of SpA, which may explain higher direct mortality rates for IBD, detailed the researchers. On the other hand, IBD directly causes death in 25-50% of cases for CD, and 18% for UC. In France, from 2000 to 2009, AS was considered the main cause of death in only 3.1% of cases. In AS and PsA, there is an excess of infectious and cardiovascular mortality, the latter partly related to a high prevalence of metabolic syndrome. The WHO data only provide information on the main cause of death. Thus, some causes of death may have been favoured by SpA, but not identified in this analysis.

Looking at mortality over time, the researcher found that ASMR for AS did not significantly change between 2001 and 2015. Meanwhile, ASMR of PsA stabilized between 2001 and 2004 before increasing significantly through 2015. During the same time period, mortality rates of CD and UC significantly decreased.

The data showed wide variations in mortality rates among the different conditions geographically, which the researchers said could be attributed to various factors, including the heterogeneity of the diseases globally, socioeconomic inequalities, and a lack of data. For example, data from Africa was only available from Egypt and South Africa for AS, CD, and US, and there were no data from China and India.

Interpretation of these data, particularly for comparisons between continents, must remain cautious in view of the risk of confounding and misclassification, noted the researchers of their findings. Further studies seem to be needed to better understand the evolution of mortality over the last twenty years.

Global ASMR for AS ranged from 0.017 in Japan to 1.89 in Iceland. ASMR for AS in Europe (0.17) was statistically significantly higher than that in North American (0.12), South America (0.09), and Asia (0.08), and was comparable with that in Africa (0.10) and Oceania (0.08).

ASMR for PsA ranged from 0.008 in Mexico to 0.135 in Greece, and ASmR in Europe (0.05) was statistically significantly higher than in South American (0.02) and similar to North America (0.03) and Oceania (0.02).

The ASMR in Europe for CD (1.12) was significantly lower than that in North America (1.31), was significantly higher than that in Africa (0.74), Latin America (0.57), and Asia (0.27), and was similar to that in Oceania (0.87).

For UC, ASMR ranged from 0.03 in Thailand to 5.48 in Saint Lucia. Compared with North America (0.64), Africa (0.57), South Africa (0.84), Asia (0.47), and Oceania (0.58), the ASMR of Europe was significantly higher (1.00).

Reference

Fakih O, Wendling D, Verhoeven F, Prati C. World mortality of ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease in 2015 and its evolution from 2001 to 2015. Joint Bone Spine. 2022;89(6):105452. doi:10.1016/j.jbspin.2022.105452

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Study Highlights Wide Variation in Mortality of Spondyloarthritis, IBD Across the Globe - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network

August 2022 was the worlds sixth-warmest August in 143 years, according to scientists at NOAAs National Centers for Environmental Information.

The warm August wrapped up the Northern Hemispheres second-hottest meteorological summer on record.

Here are highlights from NOAAs latest monthly global climate report:

Climate by the numbers

August 2022

The average global land and ocean surface temperature in August was 1.62 degrees F (0.90 of a degree C) above the 20th-century average of 60.1 degrees F (15.6 degrees C), making it the sixth-hottest August in the 143-year global climate record.

North America and Europe both had their hottest Augusts on record as Asia recorded its fourth-hottest August. South America, Africa and the Oceania region all had warmer-than-average Augusts but none saw a top-10 warm August.

Season (June through August) | Year to date (YTD)

The season was Earths fifth warmest on record tied with 2015 and 2017 at 1.60 degrees F (0.89 of a degree C) above the 20th-century average. The five warmest June-August periods on record have occurred since 2015.

JuneAugust 2022 was the Northern Hemispheres second-hottest meteorological summer on record at 2.07 degrees F (1.15 degrees C) above average, behind Summer 2020. Meanwhile, the Southern Hemisphere had its 10th-warmest winter on record.

Globally, the YTD (JanuaryAugust) ranked as sixth-warmest ever recorded, at 1.55 degrees F (0.86 of a degree C) above the 20th-century average of 57.3 degrees F (14.0 degrees C). According to NCEIs Global Annual Temperature Outlook, there is a greater than 99% chance that 2022 will rank among the 10-warmest years on record but less than 11% chance that it will rank among the top five.

Other notable climate events

Antarctic sea ice set another record low: For the third consecutive month, Antarctica set a record low sea ice extent (coverage) since records began in 1979. The August 2022 Antarctic sea ice extent was 6.55 million square miles, or about 290,000 square miles below average. Arctic sea ice saw its 13th-smallest August extent in the 44-year record, with sea ice coverage about 467,000 square miles below the 1981-2010 average.

The globe saw nine named storms in August: Four of the nine named storms reached tropical cyclone strength (74 mph or higher), including Super Typhoon Hinnamnor, the first Category 5 tropical cyclone of 2022. August 2022 had no named tropical cyclones in the Atlantic, which is only the third August since 1950 along with the Augusts of 1961 and 1997 with no activity in the Atlantic. This August also marked only the seventh year since 1950 to have recorded no hurricanes in the Atlantic basin through August 31.

More>Access NOAAs full climate report and download images from NCEI website.

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Earth had its 6th-warmest August on record - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

How rivers function is fundamentally affected by how much sediment they transport and deposit. River sediment consisting mostly of sand, clay, and silt plays a major ecological role, providing habitat for a variety of organisms downstream and in estuaries. Moreover, sediment also affects human lives and activities, by resupplying nutrients to agricultural soils in floodplains or buffering the rise in sea level caused by climate change by delivering sand to coastlines and deltas.

However, according to a new study led by Dartmouth College, over the past four decades, humans have caused unprecedented changes to river sediment transport by building dams and modifying land-use.

By using satellite images and streamflow data, the scientists investigated changes in how much sediment was carried to the oceans by 414 of our planets largest rivers from 1984 to 2020. Humans have been able to alter the worlds biggest rivers at rates that are unprecedented in the recent geologic record, said study lead author Evan Dethier, an expert in Fluvial Geomorphology at Dartmouth.

The amount of sediment rivers carry is generally dictated by natural processes in watersheds, like how much rain there is or whether there are landslides or vegetation. We found that human activities are overwhelming these natural processes and outweighing the effects of climate change.

The analysis revealed that widespread dam building in Earths Northern Hemisphere (North America, Europe, and parts of Asia) have reduced the global delivery of water-borne sediment from rivers to the oceans by 49 percent. However, in the Southern Hemisphere (South America, Africa, and Oceania), sediment transport has increased in 36 percent of the rivers, mainly due to land-use changes, such as deforestation.

The results in the North are worrisome, and could predict future changes in the South. Since there are over 300 dams planned for South Americas and Oceanias largest rivers including the Amazon River, which carries more sediment than any other river in the world the problems northern areas are currently facing could soon haunt the global South too.

Rivers are pretty sensitive indicators of what were doing to the surface of the Earth they are like a thermometer for land-use change, explained study co-authorCarl Renshaw, an earth scientist at Dartmouth. Its well-established that theres a soil loss crisis in the U.S., but we just dont see it in the sediment export record because its all getting stuck behind these dams, whereas we can see the signal for rivers in the global South.

Better understanding how dams retain sediment and how land-use practices are increasing downstream erosion could help scientists and decision-makers develop more efficient environmental management policies in the future.

The study is published in the journal Science.

By Andrei Ionescu, Earth.com Staff Writer

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Humans have caused unprecedented changes to rivers - Earth.com

Kristen Faulkner, Eva van Agt, Veronica Ewers, Amber Kraak, Mav Garca, Alison Jackson. None of these riders started their professional sports career in cycling but with the growing professionalization of the sport all have decided to make cycling their living. They can leave well-paid jobs behind and live off their passion.

The next rider to join that list is now-former-rower Georgie Howe. And the 28-year-old Australian is moving fast.

My first ever race at the elite level was the Australian nationals this January, Howe tells CyclingTips from her temporary home in Girona. It was trial by fire. My bike was about one or even two sizes too big but I loved every minute of it. Then I did the Tour Down Under with the Knights of Suburbia team.

These two races were great with some big WorldTour names lining up. I could see first-hand how the pros raced. It was a great learning experience and after that race I was hooked. Everything was so new. I even came away with a polka-dot jersey.

Howe comes to cycling having been a rower for 13 years.

All my friends were into rowing and at school we had a rowing program, she explains. The team element of the sport was addictive. If you dont show up your crew doesnt row. Its as simple as that. Its about a lot of discipline and we had some good leadership at the program at my high school.

For teenagers you need a fun atmosphere where training and racing are fun and then results will come.

And the results did come.

Howe went from the junior to the senior program and then to representing Australia at the elite world championships in the womens eight. She even gained a scholarship to study at Princeton, USA where she majored in the classics and minored in medieval history. Gradually, though, rowing burnt her out and while she was back in Melbourne working a job at EY, a new passion started.

The universe was kind to me and I had some good people in my corner, she says. Her energy is infectious. She talks about her newfound love for cycling with great passion.

As with many things in life, a career in cycling happened for Howe while she was making other plans. Howe seems both amazed and grateful at the turn her life has taken in the past six months.

Cycling is often part of a rowers training regime, she explains. In my case I only had a WattBike when I studied at Princeton. During our European training camps with Rowing Australia in Varese, Italy I didnt have time for riding but all in all I was familiar with the sport. After I quit rowing, it was an old bike at home that started this all.

During the now-infamously-long COVID lockdowns in Melbourne, in 2020 and 2021, Howe found herself with no place to go because the gyms were closed.

After 13 years of rowing I was doing some boxing and weightlifting but when the gyms closed I invested in a Kickr bike. I am one of the COVID cyclists, she says with a laugh. Sports kept me and keep me sane. That old bike I had went on the Kickr and I subscribed to Zwift. Thats where this all started, in my living room.

When Australia gradually reopened, and racing on real and not virtual roads started happening again, Howe enrolled in her first road race: the Australian championships. Then, after a successful Tour Down Under and after winning the Oceania time trial title, Howe decided to travel across the world to try her luck in the European racing scene.She started well.

I landed in Belgium on a Wednesday mid-June and raced a kermesse on Friday at 7pm, she says. I suffered from a real big jetlag.

She mustnt have suffered too much though she got in the winning break at her first try.

The day after, on the Saturday, I realized I needed a Belgian club team to be able to race UCI races so I approached Andy Redant to ask for a guest ride, Howe says. He was not really that eager before the race but when I ended up in a winning break again with Julie de Wilde and Sanne Cant and the Keukens Redant soigneurs gave me some feeds, I thought Yes, I have a team.

Howe joined the small Belgian UCI team to race two stage races at the end of June: the Lotto Belgium Tour and the Baloise Belgium Tour. She finished ninthin the Lotto Belgium Tour prologue immediately and beat some well-established WorldTour pros. It was in her first European road race on day two of that Lotto Belgium Tour that she showed the huge potential she has.

That first stage was a completely flat affair at the Belgian coast, she says. It was honestly the biggest culture shock. I approach bike racing no different than rowing in the sense that I want to know the course. There is a difference between two kilometres or 130 so I Google Street View-ed my way through the preparation.

The speed was the biggest shock to me. It was the most hectic thing I did to date. As the race went along, I gained more confidence. People from Australia always tell you to focus on position, position, position but in the Australian peloton we dont have these big groups. You can just find your way around. In Belgium not so much.

There are also corners and small roads everywhere. There was also a lot of physical contact like taps on your bum. In that race I became more confident in fighting for position at high speeds. That ninth place in a sprint was a surprise.

The final stage on the Muur van Geraardsbergen was a challenging one but Howe would not be deterred for her next race which came the week after. The line-up for the Baloise Belgium Tour the last big test race for the Giro dItalia Donne and the Tour de France Femmes was a great one. No fewer than four WorldTour teams lined up with the likes of Ellen van Dijk, Lorena Wiebes, Liane Lippert, Alison Jackson, and Audrey Cordon-Ragot on the startlist. Howe finished fourth in the general classification.

It was a bit surreal to be honest, she says. I came to Belgium to get into the European peloton, to get experience and soak it all up. I didnt have any ambitions for a general classification. The only goal was to learn how to position and maybe opportunities would come. When I saw some real hitters on that startlist, I was excited to see how they move around the peloton and then test myself in time trials against someone like Ellen van Dijk. It was pretty cool.

Pretty cool is a bit of an understatement. Coming fourth in a well-established race as a complete newbie is a phenomenal result and shows Howe has the potential to go far. She approaches the sport as she did her education at Princeton.

Coming up to speed with all the new things is the hardest thing, she says. I need to be a student in everything I do and thats how I approach this as well. I am behind the eight ball on everything. I have a lot to learn and I recognize this. The biggest challenge is giving myself time and cutting myself some slack. I will screw up sometimes and thats OK. I try to create a safe place for myself where that development is possible.

Finding a team based on her results was the next mission for Howe. With the help of her manager, former Olympian and world champion Annette Edmondson, Howe has secured a pro contract for 2023. The details of that deal are expected to be released soon.

So next year is sorted, but Howe wasnt done yet for 2022. She wanted to build on the newly acquired experience but also focus on her time trialing talent. Howe hoped to be selected for the Australian team for the Road World Championships in Wollongong.

Thats why I located myself in Girona where they have a lab for tests, she says. I won the Oceania time trial and that gives Australia an extra spot for the [Worlds] time trial. Its a personal spot in my name but even then, [AusCycling] had to award it to me which sadly they didnt*. Obviously, I am very disappointed with that decision in this instance given my positive trajectory to this point. However, I have to respect their decision and am hungry to put my name in for selection in future years.

Howe decided to fly back home to Melbourne with 2023 on her mind. Her handful of European races and top-10 places are only just the beginning. Unlike rowing where there is one pinnacle of the sport every four years at the Olympics, cycling has a smorgasbord of events to look forward to.

Its a bit of a whirlwind right now, she says. Cycling has always been founded in fun for me. This journey is different than rowing. Back then as a kid you always take the next step automatically. I stumbled upon my love for cycling and bumped into my coach on a ride in Melbourne. We literally knocked into each other on Beach Road. He asked if I had a coach and I said no.

The universe has been very kind to me in this but I always followed my gut. Thats how this will be a sustainable career. Sport is not always glamorous and fun but when you get home and manage to pick out the good bits, its a good way forward.

Its clear that Howe is in it for the long run. She might be 28 but finds herself at the same point in her career as an 18-year-old entering the elite peloton. And as she makes her step up, Howe applauds how fast womens racing is developing.

The new WWT structure is 100% changing things for riders from out of the European cycling zone, she says. There is untapped talent everywhere. In 2017 they started a womens league in Australian football. We are only five years on and many women join AFL from other sports. Now womens AFL is highly competitive. The same goes for soccer in Australia and look at the English womens soccer at Wembley. Womens sport is at an incredibly exciting point in history and so is cycling.

Girls in Australia will look at Amanda [Spratt], Nicole [Frain], Ruby [Roseman-Gannon] or Grace [Brown]. They will see the Tour de France Femmes and know its a realistic goal. They know that when they are 12, they can start dreaming of the TDF. You cant be what you cant see is a quote used a lot but its true. They can dream a realistic dream now.

Only a few years ago riders from outside of Europe had to make conscious decisions about whether pursuing a career in Europe was financially viable. They were living off their parents or partners, working a job on the side or even full-time, or trying to get by on a few hundred dollars a month. In a short amount of time over 200 women now earn a decent living in the sport and that will only grow.

Salaries will increase exponentially as a true reflection of the attention the sport is bringing, Howe says. The viewing figures of the Tour de France Femmes exceeded everyones expectations. If you give women the stage and place to perform, they will step up to the mark. They will inspire a new generation or even the current one, like me.

I was burnt out from rowing and looked at cycling to pursue excellence in sports. I wanted a team sport again. My NRS [National Road Series] team at home pride themselves in bringing athletes from others sports like triathlon, runners, rowers, CrossFit, or lacrosse. That amalgamation is a great melting pot that brings a whole different life experience and perspective to the team that makes us succeed in the end. I think this goes for the whole sport of cycling.

The fact so many new athletes can make the jump across to cycling and be fairly successful so soon doesnt mean the level of cycling is low. On the contrary, Howe claims.

I have a great physiology and no one disputes that, she says. I have years of intense physiological workouts as a background. I was doing 14 sessions a week in high school, and after that 20 hours a week when rowing. I did that for 13 years. To step up in cycling you need a serious sports background. Its not only physiological but also the mindset. Its a difficult sport psychologically.

The biggest challenge for the newcomers is the bike handling. Mine is obviously nowhere near someone who grew up in this sport but there is a whole new world to discover for me out there.

The TDFF looked both savage and delicious. I cant wait to be there. Or ride Roubaix. It would be amazing to race that. It would be so hectic and there is much left to chance but its proper hard racing steeped in history.

I cant express in words how excited I am about this new future.

*In a recent press conference about Australias World Championships team, AusCyclings executive general manager of performance, Jesse Korf, was asked about why Howe wasnt selected to race the Worlds time trial when she had a spot set aside specifically for her, as per UCI rules. Korf replied:

As you know, the Oceania champion can be considered for an additional spot. And when we look at selections and the conversations that we had within the selection panel, with Rory [Sutherland, AusCyclings road coordinator], with the athletes, we have quite high performance standards because we want to represent the green and gold to the best of our ability.

Both Georgie and Josie [Talbot] are tracking incredibly well, and so there have been considerations around where those opportunities might lie and what the amount of riders in consideration are and how many time trial spots are available. And so Josie Talbot has indeed been selected as Oceania [road race] champion. And weve had copious conversation with Georgie and are very excited about her step up and working with her ongoingly to support her into the future.

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From boat to bike: Georgie Howe's rapid rise to the pro ranks - CyclingTips

Asahi announced its H1FY2022 financial results earlier this month, reporting an increase of 11.4% year-on-year in revenue to hit JPY1.15tn (US$8.42bn) and a 1.9% increase in profit to hit JPY91bn (US$666mn).

Within its core APAC markets, Asahi Japan revenue grew 7.9% to JPY599.9bn (US$4.39bn) but profits grew just 0.1% to JPY42.8bn (US$313.2mn) whereas Oceania revenue grew 9.4% to JPY261.1bn (US$1.91bn) and profits grew 4% to JPY41.8bn (US$305.9mn).

The firm credited its positive results to its on-premise (40+% growth) and canned beer (26% growth) businesses in Japan, as well as craft beer (8% growth) in Australia, but acknowledged that in Australia price hikes had contributed towards profits in the region.

There are still multiple cost increases affecting [Asahis production and supply chains] across the group, the cost increase in the first half of the year has been just over JPY30bn (US$219.7mn) and we estimate that this is going to increase to approximately JPY80bn (US$585.9mn) for the entire year, Asahi CEO and Representative Director Atsushi Katsuki told investors when announcing the financial resuls.

In Japan, the main cost factors of concern are aluminum, fuel, PET resin and other supplementary materials, and Asahis prepared countermeasures for this region will be some price increases as well as an improvement of our product mix, in addition to promoting cost efficiencies by streamlining expenses and logistics.

In Oceania, the main cost factors here are aluminum, ocean freight and fuel, and we will be using a flexible pricing strategy here as well as utilizing cost synergies, reducing indirect costs and reducing marketing spend.

The firm is planning to introduce price hikes in Japan starting October 1 for beer-type beverages, RTD, other keg liquors, non-alcoholic beverages and domestic whiskeys, with these increases expecting to be in the range of 6% to 10%; as well as for soft drinks which are expected to see 4% to 16% increases.

This would be the first time that Asahi raises its prices in 14 years.

Given the somewhat unprecedented nature of the price increase, it remains to be seen how consumers react to the change, industry analysis experts Fitch Group highlighted in an Asahi-focused CreditSights report.

We do note though that in previous years, Japanese brewers have seen downtrading in beer preference to no or low malt beers that have benefitted from a lower tax regime, albeit new regulations aim to equalise regular beer with no/low-malt alternatives.

Previously we believed that Asahi was set to Outperform [in terms of market performance], but in light of relative value considerations this has been downgraded to Market Perform more attractive opportunities can be seen elsewhere in the brewer space.

Perhaps also due to concerns over how the upcoming price hikes will affect its market performance especially in Japan, Asahi has highlighted that it will be focusing on multiple strategies to accelerate its growth locally.

Canned beer is one of the businesses that we are running initiatives to strengthen, especially the Asahi Super Dry brand, said Katsuki.

One of the reasons we are so positive on this is because canned beer sales have been growing faster than the market as a whole over the past six months, with market growth at slightly below 10% from January to June 2022 but Asahi sales growing 26% and particularly Asahi Super Dry canned beer growing 9% in the same time.

Another area we will be focused on is in healthier product innovation, particularly sugar-free drinks. Here there have been multiple innovations including the Wilkinson Spicy Lemon Ginger sparkling water marketed as a sober curious item, and our Wakocha bottled tea made from 100% Japanese tea leaves.

We are also expanding our range of label-less products, a category which has increased by 87% since its inception, especially via e-commerce channels where such products have grown by 32%.

Asahis revenue and profit growth in Europe (22.8% to JPY265.2bn / US$1.94bn and 10.5% to JPY28.9bn / US$211.7mn respectively) were its healthiest amongst all of its major markets.

This was also strongly bolstered by its price hikes there, making it unsurprising that the firm hopes to repeat this measure of success in Japan but it has also made no promises that the price increases will be a one-time thing.

In Europe, we have increased unit prices by improving our various mix including on-premise recovery, and by raising prices but the issue is that we still need to continue responding to higher-than-expected commodity, energy, and other market price increases, said the firm.

[Right now we are looking to] accelerate sustainable top-line growth through growth investment in global brands, non-alcoholic beverages and RTD beverages here, but we will continue monitoring increases in input costs and pass them on to customers [if the need arises].

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Turbulence not over: Asahi pushes canned beer and healthier innovation as cost pressures heighten - FoodNavigator-Asia.com