FRANKFURT, Germany (AP):

THE T-MOBILE cycling team has fired rider Lorenzo Bernucci after his positive doping test at the Tour of Germany last month.

Bernucci violated the team's code of conduct and was removed from T-Mobile's roster at Vuelta de Espana, the team said yesterday. The rider tested positive for a non-amphetamine appetite suppressant.

The firing came on the same day the German mineral water company Gerolsteiner announced it was quitting sponsoring its cycling team after the 2008 season.

Gerolsteiner cited a change in marketing strategy -not a rash of recent doping scandals - as the reason.

Bernucci rides with a license issued by the Monaco cycling federation, which will be responsible for further investigation and possible additional sanctions, T-Mobile said.

Positive sample

The rider returned a positive sample on August 15 for the substance sibutramine, an appetite suppressant sold under various brand names, such as Reductil and Ectiva. The world governing body of cycling, UCI, informed T-Mobile of Bernucci's positive test.

Bernucci told team management that he had been using Ectiva for four years and had purchased it over the counter at a pharmacy in Italy, not knowing it been added to the list of prohibited substances by the World Anti-Doping Agency, T-Mobile said.

According to UCI rules, a first violation for sibutramine - if it is determined that it was not intended as a performance enhancer - can result in anything between a warning and a one-year suspension.

Performance enhancement

"We do not know if this was an attempt at performance enhancement or just poor judgment," T-Mobile team chief Bob Stapleton said. "But we know it is unacceptable that riders take any medication without the approval of the team doctor. It's a clear violation of our code of conduct and we act now on that basis."

T-Mobile rider Patrik Sinkewitz tested positive for elevated testosterone levels during training before the Tour of France in June and was fired. He admitted he had rubbed his arm with a testosterone gel called Testogel.

That came on top of several doping confessions by former Telekom riders, including the 1996 Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis. T-Mobile previously went under the name Telekom. The German company began its cycling sponsorship in 1991.

While T-Mobile decided last month to remain the name sponsor of the team, cycling in Germany suffered another blow yesterday when Gerolsteiner announced its withdrawal.