Terengganu-born cyclist Siti Nur Alia Mansor hopes to use her stint at Canyon-SRAM Racing Team as a stepping stone to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 21-year-old is on a one-year contract with the world No 5 Spanish team and will start her journey in March.
Nur Alia, who had trained together with two-time Olympic medallist Azizulhasni Awang in Melbourne in 2017, will be unveiled as their new rider today.
The move to Spain was made possible thanks to former Terengganu Cycling Team coach Adam Szabo, who is now handling Canyon-SRAM Racing Team.
"My first ride with the team is in March. They will assess my performance for seven months together with seven other riders. Only one rider will be picked to join their elite squad," said Nur Alia at KLIA in Sepang on Wednesday.
"I am a track cyclist, so it is a bit shocking for me to get a chance in road racing. I have rarely won road events.
"Anyway, I will take it as a challenge and try to do well in Spain. My target is to qualify for the Paris Olympics. The team have many riders, who are Olympians, so I want to learn from them."
She added that she will return to Kuala Lumpur in April or May for the Malaysia Games, scheduled in June.
In the 2018 edition in Perak, she won a silver (women's sprint) and a bronze (500m time trial).
"Frankly, I am a bit nervous about my outing in Spain. It is going to be tough, but I will do my best to push hard," she added.