Australian road race champion Nicole Frain to compete in inaugural Lochard Energy Women's Warrnambool Cycling Classic

The Tasmanian will be at the Colac start line on Sunday, February 20.

Frain, 29, said the 160-kilometre race, which will follow the Great Ocean Road before arriving in Warrnambool, was a welcome challenge.

"I think it's really good, I think it's exciting," she told The Standard.

"I am not too worried with the distance as I did the men's (260km) Warrnie last year as well and that is definitely a huge challenge.

"It is always a different dynamic when you race the men's."

Frain, who will race in Asia and Europe this year, said she would play her part for her team in the Colac to Warrnambool.

"It is always good to see everyone else in the (Roxsolt Liv SRAM) team and what their ambitions are as well and give other riders an opportunity," she said.

"I love being able to support my teammates' ambitions as well. I am not too sure what I want from it myself, probably just hard racing and knowing we've gone out and had a really good race and set ourselves up.

"Long distance races are interesting. There's riders you think might be really good sprinters on a shorter distance or think they will sprint really well at the end but once you get lots of Ks in your legs, different riders do come to the top as well and that's always really cool to see."

Frain defeated Camperdown export and Tokyo Olympian Grace Brown for the road race crown in Ballarat earlier this month.

"It is something a lot of cyclists aspire to, going to the Olympics and she has achieved really well there and been stepping up each year," she said.

"I try not to get too intimidated but you do look at someone like that and think it's pretty cool.

"I try to see other riders as not too threatening otherwise you get in your own head a bit as well. You can learn a lot from somebody like that too."

The Colac to Warrnambool women's race is part of the Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Festival on February 19-20.

The men's race - the time-honoured Powercor Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Classic - will be run on the Saturday.

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