clothes, eggs and bacon
I reckon I will start with short sleeve jersey, mesh back vest, knicks and knee and arm warmers and will have peeled it all off within the first hour. I will wear full finger gloves. Might contemplate an extra thermal layer at the last minute and if I do I will regret it. If you really feel the cold think about a lightweight breathable windproof as the wind chill might be an issue on the fast sections. Depending on how open your shoes are, toe covers (rather than full booties) are great on a Canberra morning. All depends on how much phaffing you are willing to do during the race.
As for a bakery - Dobinson's bakery cafe in the centre of town is a bakery and cafe (as the name suggests). As a bakery, it opens early. As a cafe it has a kitchen and they do breakfast so they might do bacon and egg roll. If not, they do a good next best thing in a quiche Lorraine. In fact, you could buy a bread roll and whack the quiche in it. While you are there, check out their almond croissant, not exactly traditional, but if you are partial to a super sized full fat injection before a race, it will do the trick. If you are not, share it will your buddies. There are better bakeries out there, but I think this one ticks your boxes best.
As a local, I would get down to jersey and short knicks fairly quickly, particularly if the sun is out. Canberra sun is very strong and by the time you are on your way to Stromlo there is little shade. The main issue is that it can be deceptively cool in the early morning then jump 10 degrees in a matter of hours. It is always coldest directly before dawn (about when you will need to get up) so don't freak out and over-dress. Make sure you can take your layers off directly before the start.
I reckon I will start with short sleeve jersey, mesh back vest, knicks and knee and arm warmers and will have peeled it all off within the first hour. I will wear full finger gloves. Might contemplate an extra thermal layer at the last minute and if I do I will regret it. If you really feel the cold think about a lightweight breathable windproof as the wind chill might be an issue on the fast sections. Depending on how open your shoes are, toe covers (rather than full booties) are great on a Canberra morning. All depends on how much phaffing you are willing to do during the race.
As for a bakery - Dobinson's bakery cafe in the centre of town is a bakery and cafe (as the name suggests). As a bakery, it opens early. As a cafe it has a kitchen and they do breakfast so they might do bacon and egg roll. If not, they do a good next best thing in a quiche Lorraine. In fact, you could buy a bread roll and whack the quiche in it. While you are there, check out their almond croissant, not exactly traditional, but if you are partial to a super sized full fat injection before a race, it will do the trick. If you are not, share it will your buddies. There are better bakeries out there, but I think this one ticks your boxes best.
