"My name will forever be on the start list," beamed the 29-year-old whose cycling career has escalated rapidly since joining US team Tibco-Silicon Valley Bank in August.

A staple on the men's pro calendar since 1896, the race through the cobblestones of north-eastern France, known as the Hell of the North, was making its women's debut over 116.4 kilometres.

"A race where there are a hundred stories to tell and no one's day was easy," Frain said on Instagram.

The bronze medallist at this year's national time trial championship said she was among many victims of the famed cobbles.

"I sent it a little too hard through a corner in an early attack and lost my wheel.

"A bike change and a chase and I was back into the race but I was no means the last crash of the day.

"A crash ahead of me before the first cobbles split the bunch and we were left to chase.

"Every one of the 17 cobble sectors brought down riders and stalled the convoy making it difficult to make ground.

"My hands with blisters made riding the cobbles so painful I could only grit my teeth and hope for the end of each sector soon.

"But I didn't even feel the last one (and) riding into the velodrome was surreal."

The race was won by Brit Elizabeth Deignan (Trek-Segafredo Women) in just under three hours and although Frain finished 63rd of the 129 starters in her maiden European WorldTour race, she finished 20 seconds outside the cut-off time so was not recorded as an official finisher.

However, she added: "I am so glad for the opportunity to be a part of this."

Only 61 of the starters officially finished.

Tasmanian teammates Richie Porte and Cameron Wurf were among a long list of riders who did not finish the first of their two one-day races together in Italy this week.

Regular training partners in their home state, the veterans were in the INEOS Grenadiers team contesting the 195km one-day Giro dell'Emilia race.

Teammate Adam Yates attacked in the final kilometre but was caught and finished fourth as Primoz Roglic sprinted to victory.

Porte, Wurf and Burnie-born Luke Plapp have been named for Monday's Coppa Bernocchi one-day race over 197.15km.