To have to pull out of sponsoring one pro team may be unlucky, but to pull out of sponsoring a second…

Someone at BMC must be suffering a serious sense of deja vu, for the the Swiss cycle manufacturer has pulled its support for the Astana Pro Tour team. This follows the expulsion from the Tour de France for blood doping of team leader Alexandre Vinokourov and the remainder of the Kazakhstan government-backed squad. BMC ended its sponsorship deal with the now-defunct Phonak team last year after Phonak’s leader and apparent Tour de France winner Floyd Landis tested non-negative for excess testosterone.

Whether the bike manufacturer will be willing to support another pro team following this news remains to be seen at the moment. In a separate development, Astana has retained the support of vehicle sponsor Skoda.