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Tasmanian Nicole Frain launched a perfectly-timed late solo attack to win the women's elite road race at the Australian road cycling championships.

Years of injury, setbacks and hard graft have paid off spectacularly for new Australian road cycling champion Nicole Frain.

The 29-year-old Tasmanian timed her solo attack to perfection with three kilometres left in the women's elite road race on Sunday at Buninyong for the biggest win of her career.

Frain, who has only been in the sport for four years, beat pre-race favourite Grace Brown and the rest of the reduced peloton by four seconds to take out the 104.4km event.

Veteran Australian cycling coach Donna Rae-Szalinski, who has worked with Frain, said the win was rich reward for persistence.

"She has faced adversity that so many people would have given up on," Rae-Szalinski said.

"She's had bad crashes, she's had so many struggles.

"She has addressed everything that needs to be done, worked her butt off, and this is a good lesson ... that people who really want it and are willing to work hard, can have success like she just did today."

Frain made the most of outstanding teamwork from leading domestic squad Roxsolt, who set up the race for her with a series of moves off the front.

In the end it came down to a select bunch of 13 riders that featured Brown, who won Wednesday's time trial crown, Rachel Neylan and newly-crowned criterium champion Ruby Roseman-Gannon.

After a disappointing eighth in the time trial, Frain reset and knew what she had to do at the end of the road race.

"I thought 'if I just get a little bit of a gap, I'm all-in, it's now or never," she said.

"The gap opened and I was like 'just don't time trial like you did on Wednesday, and you'll be fine'."

Frain aims to spend more time racing in Europe this year and establish her professional career.

"I'm definitely stepping a little bit deeper into it this year," she said.

Alyssa Polites finished third to also win the under-23 category.