Benat Intxausti could be forced to skip the Giro d’Italia in May. The Team Sky rider, who has been out of competition since he withdrew from the Ruta del Sol in February, has been diagnosed with monoclueosis. 

"There are less than two months, and at this moment, I have not touched my bike in a month", he told Basque website eitb.eus. "I don’t know when I will start, but I don’t want it to become an obsession."

Intxausti, who joined the British team this winter, delivered a strong performance at the last edition of the Italian three-week race. He has finished in the top 10 in the past and won a total two stages. "I love the Giro, but if I go I would like to be in a good condition so maybe I will have to evaluate an alternative calendar. Within six or seven days, I would like to do a little on the rollers and see how the body is and how it responds after this break."

"I was weak, with a tired body. At first, I had the symptoms of a bad cold. I started thinking about the issue because they could not give me an accurate reason for my illness. The team doctor already suspected it, and once he confirmed it to me, I was feeling calmer. The uncertainty was the worst thing because I felt bad and I wasn’t getting any better. It can only be cured with rest and patience. There is no date or exact time for recovery, but they said that it is usually in the body for between a month and forty days.

"The important thing is to recover completely. I'm not looking at the calendar. I will return when I can, when the body responds."

He hopes to be at the start of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco in April.