Lucas Hamilton is gearing up for his first attempt at the elite road race at the Cycling Australia Road National Championships in Ballarat later this week.

It will be Hamilton’s first event for the Orica Scott team with the 21-year-old set to race in the Criterium on Wednesday before backing up for the Road Race on Sunday.

The Ararat product said the change in teams will provide for a different experience across the two races.

“My preparation has been a bit different compared to the other years, there has not been as much emphasis on myself getting a result this time around given the strength of our team," he said.

“We have a really strong group of riders together, there are some of the best riders in the world on our team, so they will be the leaders which will change my role this time around.”

Hamilton said the step up to the elite level is something he thinks he will be able to adapt to easily.

“Riding with a group of guys makes it easy to motivate me to help them, It is always easy to get motivated when I am back home and racing as well,” he said.

With more than a month since his last race, Hamilton’s fitness could be a query with only previous baseline efforts used to compare to in recent weeks.

He said he is confident he is in a good spot with improvement still left in the coming weeks.

“I have not done much racing, so there is a bit of unknown going into this week but I am in a good position where I can build on my form and fitness even after the championships,” he said.

“It is my first time doing the elite race, it is a long race but it is probably no longer than any of the races I did in Europe, so I know I am capable.”

“We are the only Australian team tour there, so we want to come away with the championship win if we can,” he said.

Hamilton will turn his focus to the Sun Tour after the championships before returning to Europe.