July 4, 2006 – The German company Wurth is removing its sponsorhip from the team Astana-Wurth, following the team’s recent ejection from the Tour de France, Reuters reported today.

In a statement, the company said that the decision was a “Reaction to the suspension of individual riders and the related pulling out of the team from the 2006 Tour de France.”

In total, five riders of the Astana squad were listed in the ongoing Operacion Puerto investigation.