Mona Mitterwallner will be aiming to defend the women's title in Haderslev ©Getty Images

Defending champions Mona Mitterwallner of Austria and Andreas Seewald of Germany are among a 212-strong field for this year's International Cycling Union (UCI) Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships here.

A total of 152 male and 60 female cyclists from all over the world are set to line-up for tomorrow’s race in Danish town Haderslev where they will be competing for the rainbow jerseys.

Mitterwallner will be eyeing back-to-back world titles after triumphing in last year's event in Elba in Italy.

The Austrian arrives in Haderslev in good shape having secured three podium finishes in this season’s UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.

She is expected to face stiff competition from Frenchwoman Pauline Ferrand-Prévot who captured the cross-country and cross-country short track crowns at last month’s UCI Mountain Bike World Championships on her home track in Les Gets.

Ferrand-Prévot continued her fine form by claiming a cross-country victory in the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup event in Val di Sole in Italy.

The 30-year-old will be seeking to become world mountain bike marathon champion for the second time following her triumph in 2019.

Jordan Sarrou has been in good form this season as he eyes the men's world mountain bike marathon crown ©Getty Images
Jordan Sarrou has been in good form this season as he eyes the men's world mountain bike marathon crown ©Getty Images

Switzerland's Romana Forchini is another former winner in the field having succeeded in 2020, while Italy's Giada Specia, who came fourth last year, will be hoping to get on the podium.

Seewald is back to try to defend the men's title as he is set to line-up alongside Colombia's Diego Alfonso Arias Cuervo and Portugal’s José Dias who finished behind the German in second and third respectively at the 2021 edition.

French hopes will rest on the shoulders of Jordan Sarrou who has picked up two cross-country medals on the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup tour this year.

Other contenders include Colombia’s two-time champion Héctor Leonardo Páez León as well as Italy’s Luca Braidot and Romania’s Vlad Dascalu.

Sebastian Fini Carstensen, Simon Andreassen, Caroline Bohé and Malene Degn are among the home challengers.

The course consists of a 40 kilometres circuit, with each lap featuring 500m in elevation.

The men will ride three laps, with the women tackling two plus a loop of 7km.

The Danish Cycling Federation is running the event together with Haderslev, the Triangle Region and Sport Event Denmark for the UCI.