World’s best mountain bike riders ready for 2022 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships in Haderslev, Denmark

On the 17th of September, Haderslev in Denmark is hosting the 2022 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships. 152 men and 60 women from all over the world are ready to compete for the rainbow jerseys in Denmark.

Last year’s UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships winner, Austrian Mona Mitterwallner, is ready to compete in Haderslev after a good UCI World Cup season in cross-country Olympic (XCO). She will have to race against a strong Pauline Ferrand-Prévot from France who took both the cross-country short track (XCC) and the XCO titles at the 2022 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships on home soil in Les Gets, France, just two weeks ago. In Women Elite we also find last year’s number four in the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships, Giada Specia from Italy.

Jordan Sarrou (FRA) appears on the Men’s entry list, meaning the French will provide strong competition for the rest of the countries in both races.
Strong competitors like Luca Braidot from Italy and Vlad Dascalu from Romania as well as last year’s top three from the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships – Andreas Seewald from Germany, Diego Alfonso Arias Cuervo from Colombia and José Dias from Portugal -, will also compete in Haderslev.

Riding on home soil in Denmark we have well known riders who have performed well in the UCI World Cup. Representing Denmark are amongst others Sebastian Fini Carstensen, Simon Andreassen, Caroline Bohé and Malene Degn.

The race and the course

The UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships in Haderslev promise to be fast, with the riders tackling a 40 km lap featuring about 500 metres of climbing. The men will ride three laps, and the women will ride two laps, plus a 7.5 km loop after 24 km.

The race will start in the city at an event area, where the riders will pass two or three times during the race. Along the route the local communities have created hotspots, where they can follow the race and cheer the riders and celebrate the event together.

The route in Haderslev is very scenic, passing through the Pamhule forest on a single track, and by lakes that originate from the ice age: Haderslev Lake, Hindemade, Tørning Lake, Stevning Lake.
Being less technical, the route will reward the riders that can endure the 120/87.5 kilometers at a high pace.

Cycling in Denmark

Danish cycling is blooming as of recent years: riders are gaining great results and the sport attracts a growing audience. The Danes love cycling, and all sporting events. At an event like the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships, it all comes together in good harmony.

In 2019, the nearby city of Bogense hosted the UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships with great success.

This summer, the Tour de France’s Grand Depart Copenhagen went through Denmark in what became a three-day festival for the local population. On the third stage, the peloton went through Haderslev in Nørregade, where the route for the 2022 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships will also go. It all culminated in France where Danish Jonas Vingegaard climbed to the top of the podium in the year that the Tour de France started in Denmark. Copenhagen also hosted a round of the 2022 UCI Trials World Cup last month.

Denmark has had some great athletes that have performed well in Mountain Bike Marathon (XCM), such as Annika Langvad, who has won the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships several times.

Overall, Denmark is a cycling nation whether it comes to sports or transportation where a great percentage of Danes bike to work and school every day.

Find a full entry list on the link below:

Entry list