"The opportunity for me is huge. I have been fortunate to have been part of the Wheelers IXS team for the past two years, but this is a big step up in terms of support," Sheppard said.
Sheppard, who moves from the U23 to the elite ranks of the UCI World Cup this year, is the only non-European rider in the team which will be based in Belgium. The 22-year-old Wellington rider enjoyed a strong year in 2012 while based in Europe.
The Wellington rider hopes to be based in the proposed BikeNZ training base in Belgium and will be further supported with her coach Filip Meirhaeghe, a former Olympic mountain bike medallist who has taken on in a coaching role with the team.
"This team began last year but has taken a big jump this year as a UCI Trade Team and want to be the best mountain bike team in Belgium," Sheppard said.
"The team is putting a huge amount of resource into this infrastructure around the riders and they seem to have thought of every detail. They have even booked me into language classes as the rest of the team all speak Flemish. All I have to do is focus on riding and not dealing with the day-to-day challenges of living in a non-English speaking country.
"In New Zealand, we have a great breeding ground for mountain bikers with brilliant trail networks and development programmes like Waiariki's Academy of Sport, where I came through the ranks. This environment is definitely strengthening our talent pool here, but for now the reality is that there are not many opportunities out there especially for young female mountain bike riders, so I am really thrilled to be part of this professional team."
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Sheppard enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2012 with her first UCI World Cup victory at Mont-Sainte-Anne in Canada, as well as third in La Bresse, while she placed 12th at the world championships in Austria.
She will join Belgian champion Githa Michiels in the elite women's ranks in April after competing in the BikeNZ Mountain Bike Cup series rounds in Wellington and Auckland, the national championships in Rotorua, the annual Karapoti Classic in Wellington and the Oceania Championships in Tasmania.
"Training is going really well and this is extra incentive to work harder. My next major goal is the 2016 Olympic Games, and riding for a team like Toka Print is a big stepping stone in that direction."
