Elia Viviani leaves Cofidis training camp to undergo cardiological assessment

Elia Viviani left the Cofidis training camp in Benidorm this week to undergo a cardiological examination in Italy, according to a report in La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The Italian noted an anomaly in his heart rate while training on Sunday, and he contacted his former Liquigas team doctor Roberto Corsetti, a specialist in cardiology and sports medicine. Corsetti in turn referred Viviani to the Ospedali Riuniti in Ancona. Viviani was assessed there by Professor Antonio Dello Russo, who treated Mario Cipollini for a myocardial bridge in late 2019.

Cofidis have yet to issue a statement on the matter, but La Gazzetta reported that in Viviani’s case, there was “no cause for alarm, but a desire to find out more.” 

Viviani is in his second season at Cofidis, having joined the squad from Deceuninck-QuickStep last year. The former European champion, who didn't win a race in the interrupted 2020 campaign, is expected to ride the Giro d'Italia and defend his Olympic omnium title in 2021.

Viviani’s visit to the hospital in Ancona coincided with that of Diego Ulissi (UAE Team Emirates), who underwent an electrophysiological study under Dello Russo’s supervision on Tuesday.

Ulissi was diagnosed with myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, in December, and he is currently undertaking a period of several months. Ulissi, who won two stages on the 2020 Giro d’Italia, did not attend the UAE Team Emirates pre-season training camp in Dubai.