UAE Team Emirates announced that Diego Ulissi has been diagnosed with myocarditis and will be out of training and competition.

An irregular heartbeat was detected during Ulissi's routine pre-season physical, and a subsequent MRI scan revealed that he has myocarditis.

In a statement on Monday, UAE Team Emirates announced that Ulissi would be out of competition indefinitely following a "few months" of rest.

"Diego has undergone the usual health checks required by the UCI and the team. Subjectively he was fine and did not feel impaired, but we found an irregular heartbeat during exercise that was not there before, which raised our suspicions," said team doctor Michele De Grandi.

"Even though the ultrasound was normal, two new tests (a 24-hour Holter EKG further highlighted the arrhythmia and a cardiac MRI scan) led to the conclusion that it was myocarditis. [Myocarditis is an inflammation of myocardial tissue, usually viral in origin. As a precautionary measure, Ulissi underwent a period of absolute bed rest for several months, during which time a detailed examination was performed to further clarify the clinical picture.

Ulissi says he was surprised to learn his diagnosis.

"I cannot hide my feelings of worry and anger. I've never had any signs before and I've always been fine. Fortunately, the team's medical staff responded quickly and found this anomaly," said Ulissi. Cycling is not the end of my life, so I will take some temporary rest, keeping in mind that my health is my top priority."

The 31-year-old Ulissi won two stages of the Giro d'Italia in Agrigento and Monselice in the 2020 season, and took the overall win at the Tour de Luxembourg. He also finished second overall at the Tour Down Under and on the podium at Gran Piemonte and Giro delle Miglia, and signed a two-year contract extension with UAE Team Emirates before the season resumes in August.

"From January to October, I continued to consistently perform at a high level and was able to place in the top 10 in the UCI individual rankings.

"I had already begun preparing for 2021, hoping to build on last year's results. 'But now I am faced with this unexpected situation. I think everyone can understand my state of mind."

Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport on Tuesday, Ulissi admitted that the heart problem was unrelated to COVID-19.

"Doctors will run further tests to figure out the cause, but we can rule out coronavirus: we have done several blood tests and no antibodies have formed."

"More tests will be done in January, but with proper care and attention. I still feel I am an athlete. If I could, I would return to racing with more determination than ever. But the future doesn't seem to be in sight and I want to focus on the present. I plan to spend the holidays with my family."