A driver has been jailed for 11 years over a hit-run crash which caused the death of a cyclist in Melbourne's south-east.

The County Court heard that 33-year-old Stephanie Maher's car struck Julian Paul, 54, on the Nepean Highway at Brighton in 2013.

Mr Paul was riding from the city on his way home from work.

Witnesses described seeing the former nurse's car drifting over the road before the collision.

One witness said she saw Maher's head tilt down as though she was asleep and narrowly miss a light pole.

Judge David Parsons said the jury had rejected Maher's claim that she thought she had hit a rock.

"You left the scene of the collision knowing full well that you'd just collided with a cyclist," he said.

"Your purpose in leaving was to avoid detection by the police or the authorities and hopefully to avoid responsibility of any kind for the collision."

"I'm unable to find in the circumstances any evidence of remorse."

Judge Parsons set a non-parole period of eight and a half years.