Launceston cyclist Nicole Frain said she is thrilled to be part of cycling history having been selected to ride the inaugural women's Paris-Roubaix race.
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Last month, the 29-year-old signed with Tibco Silicon Valley for the remainder of 2021 with the US team set to join the WorldTour next year.
Frain has been training in the US since signing but this week flew to Belgium with the famed one-day cobblestone race set to take place next Saturday.
"It's definitely a hard race with over 20 kilometres of cobble sections, but this is a real moment of history for women's racing so I'm excited to be a part of it and hope I can be a strong part of our squad," she said.
"It is a really great opportunity, not just being a part of the team but the history this is creating for women's racing is really exciting."
Since joining the team, Frain has contested the four-day Joe Martin Stage Race in North Carolina, finishing 24th and helping US teammate Veronica Ewers to second place.
She was scheduled to ride next week's Tour of Gila in New Mexico but the race was cancelled due to rising COVID cases.
A change of plan meant heading to Europe where she will contest the Paris-Roubaix Femmes and the final race on the WorldTour calendar, the one-day Ronde van Drenthe in the Netherlands on October 22 and 23.
"The team is going great," added Frain who has been training around Antwerp and Brussells this week.
"Coming to Europe wasn't in the initial plans but after Tour of Gila was cancelled in the US, being able to get over here was a great chance."
Frain began 2021 impressively, finishing eighth and third in the road race and time trial at national championships.
Rob Shaw
Heralding the impact of Tasmanian sport without saying "punching above its weight" is not as easy as it sounds.
Heralding the impact of Tasmanian sport without saying "punching above its weight" is not as easy as it sounds.
