CHANNEL Seven weather presenter James Tobin will get a taste of Velothon Sunshine Coast first-hand at the cycling event's first stage on Friday.

Tobin, who will be undertaking live weather crosses to Seven Weekend Sunrise on both Saturday and Sunday mornings, is no stranger to time in the saddle.

He's an avid supporter of Tour de Cure alongside fellow Seven sports personality Mark Beretta.

The inaugural Velothon Sunshine Coast starts with a gentle roll on Thursday afternoon where participants will ride in a group for an 8km circuit from Cotton Tree to Mooloolaba and back between 6-7pm.

The three-day 360km event starts in earnest from Friday morning at Buderim, where riders will tackle the day one 118km route from 6.30am.

Tobin will only undertake the Friday ride due to his weekend presentation commitments.

No stranger to the Sunshine Coast or cycling, Tobin is excited to be heading north, leaving Sydney's cold weather behind him and catching up with the Velothon competitors and Sunshine Coast locals.

"On Saturday we are going to be out along the route of the Glass House Mountains stage of Velothon, so just when people are starting to feel the pain we can ask them to smile for the camera,” he said.

"They can grimace for us, or smile through gritted teeth. As long they turn it on for the camera they can blow up after that,” he laughed.

"Then on Sunday we are going to set ourselves up around the area where the Velothon Clubhouse is, 'Velothon epicentre' at Cotton Tree Park, so I would encourage everyone on the Sunshine Coast to come down and see the Sunrise crew and join in the fun.

"It has been pretty cold over the last month at home but nothing like what Victoria or further south has experienced. Like me, I am sure there are a lot of people very excited to be leaving the leg and arm warmers behind and having a ride in the warmth of Sunshine Coast Velothon.

"Cycling is part of my life, I love it. I try to get out a few time a week. While I travel quite a bit for Weekend Sunrise, when I going to the Sunshine Coast I try to pack my bike and bring it up and do a bit of riding on the coast and in the beautiful hinterland. I have been travelling a fair bit and it has been pretty crazy for work so the training for the Friday stage hasn't been ideal. I haven't got as many kilometres into the legs as I would have liked, so we will see. But I can't wait to get out there to have a crack and see what happens,” he said.

Tobin said Australians are spoiled with beautiful places to ride and he can understand why cycling is becoming more and more popular.

"This time of year the focus is on cycling with the Tour de France and there is a lot of inspiration when you turn on the telly late at night and watch the cycling. It is a great for us amateurs to have the opportunity get out with a great group of people and having fun on our bikes riding professional style events such as Velothon Sunshine Coast.”

"There is something very special about going away for a long weekend with a group of cycling mates and while riding for a single day is good, backing up for a few days in a row like Velothon offers is more challenging and definitely more fun,” James said.

Visit Sunshine Coast CEO, Simon Latchford, said it was fantastic to have Tobin and Channel 7's Sunrise return to the Sunshine Coast and put a national spotlight on Velothon - held in Australia for the first time.

"We are pleased to partner with Ironman to welcome Channel 7's Sunrise to the area,” he said.

"This national publicity from an active advocate in James will not only highlight the region's capacity to host events but drive interest and tourism visitation to the Sunshine Coast.

"Together with our tourism operators, we look forward to welcoming and being part of the Velothon event. We encourage the community to cheer on the riders along the course and come along to the Sunrise weather crosses in Palmwoods (July 15) and Cotton Tree (July 16) between 7am and 10am.”

Day two is an 88km Glass House Mountains stage starting at Moffat Beach and finishing at Cotton Tree. Day three has 152km and 90km options starting from Novotel Twin Waters and finishing at Cotton Tree.