KEY POINTS:
PAU, France - Astana leader Alexander Vinokourov failed a dope test after winning Saturday's Tour de France time trial, prompting his team to leave the race today.
Vinokourov, who has won two stages in this year's race but was not in contention for the overall victory, has been sacked by Astana, the team said in a statement.
"The doping test carried on Alexander Vinokourov after last Saturday's time trial in Albi has returned positive," the Swiss team backed by Kazakh companies said in a statement.
"There is the presence of a double population of haematids (blood corpuscles), which implies there has been a blood transfusion with homological (the same type of) blood."
"Tour organisers have asked Astana Cycling Team to leave the race, which has been accepted spontaneously."
Vinokourov has asked for the B sample to be tested.
"I cannot comment on this until the result of the B sample's analysis," International Cycling Union (UCI) president Pat McQuaid said.
Vuelta champion Vinokourov was one of the pre-race favourites for this year's Tour but injured his knees in a crash during the first week of the race.
The 33-year-old then blew any hopes of victory when he finished almost half an hour down on stage winner Alberto Contador and overall leader Michael Rasmussen on Sunday.
Vinokourov, who won Monday's 15th stage, was 23rd in the overall standings, 28 minutes and 21 seconds behind yellow jersey holder Rasmussen of Denmark.
Andreas Kloeden was Astana's best placed rider in the standings. The German, second in 2004 and third last year, was fifth overall, 5min 34sec down on the leader.
Astana sacked Matthias Kessler earlier this month after the German rider tested positive for the elevated levels of testosterone.
The team withdrew on the eve of the 2006 race after five of Vinokourov's team mates were implicated in a doping scandal.
Last year's Tour de France winner Floyd Landis is still awaiting a ruling from a United States arbitration panel after testing positive for testosterone during the 2006 race.
The American has protested his innocence but if the decision goes against him, he could become the first Tour winner to be stripped of his title.
- REUTERS
