Froome launched the L'Etape cycling event on Friday morning as cyclists converge on the Snowy Mountain region to get a taste of what it's like to compete in the world's biggest cycling race.

His arrival comes two weeks after Canberra cyclist Chris Wilson posted footage of emus chasing a rider near the Cotter River as the flightless bird went into protection mode.

The video has been watched more than 74,000 times and Wilson is riding in L'Etape alongside Froome.

Told about the emu attack and asked what the strangest thing to happen to Froome was, the Team Sky champion laughed: "I had a pretty weird experience in France this year going up Mont Ventoux [after crashing with a motorbike], but that wasn't on [my] bike.

"That's got to be up here. This is beautiful [in the Snowy Mountains], absolutely beautiful. It's really close to nature and really quite raw in a lot of ways.

"It's tough cycling terrain and I think that's why it's such a good challenge having L'Etape out here and trying to replicate what the Tour de France is all about."

Froome wasted no time immersing himself in his surroundings as he drove from Canberra to Jindabyne on Thursday.

The 31-year-old asked the driver to stop at Cooma so he could get out and ride the rest of the way to Jindabyne.

The L'Etape event is designed to give amateur cyclists a chance to experience what it's like to be riding in the Tour de France.

There will be 160 km of roads closed around Jindabyne, Perisher and Thredbo on Saturday when Froome starts at the back of the pack and chats with riders along the way.

There is a King of the Mountains and sprint sections, as well as a Yellow Jersey for the fastest rider of the 157 kilometre course.

"It's certainly a really challenging route from what I saw and 'The Wall', as the locals call it, lived up to its name," Froome said.

"It should be a cracking day [on Saturday], especially with the good weather and the road closures, which is fantastic for an event like this.

"Hopefully everyone gets to experience what it's like to be on a day of the Tour de France."