Alban Lakata of Austria will be seeking the defend his 2015 world title triumph ©Getty Images

Six world champions are due to compete at the International Cycling Union (UCI) Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships, due to take place in Laussac in France tomorrow.

A total of 153 men and 58 women are due to toe the line in the 14th edition of the annual event.

Denmark's 2011, 2012 and 2014 winner Annika Langvad and 2010 champion Esther Suss of Switzerland will lead the women's field.

Norway's defending champion Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjaa is absent, however, opting to focus on next week's UC Cross-Country World Championships.

Reigning champion Alban Lakata of Austria will be seeking a third title in the corresponding men's event, an achievement only Switzerland's Christoph Sauser has managed.

It is hoped that the Championships will follow the success of the 2015 event in Selva di Val Gardena ©UCI
It is hoped that the Championships will follow the success of the 2015 event in Selva di Val Gardena ©UCI

Czech Republic's London 2012 Olympic cross-country champion and 2014 marathon world champion Jaroslav Kulhavy is another leading contender, as is 2008 and 2009 world champion Roel Paulissen of Belgium.

Greece's 2012 winner Periklis Ilias will also feature.

The women will cover 68.9 kilometres, on a circuit consisting of one large loop and two smaller ones.

Men will race the same course in the Languedoc-Roussillon-Midi-Pyrenees region north-east of Toulouse, with the addition of an extra loop, bringing the distance to 90km.

The course will be far more undulating than last year's event in Selva di Val Gardena, which featured long climbs in the Italian Dolomite mountains.