Astana have been dragged into another drugs scandal after their rider Maxim Iglinskiy tested positive for the banned substance EPO.
The team, which infamously employed Lance Armstrong during his comeback to racing, have suspended Iglinskiy for the test which was taken prior to the Clásica San Sebastián in August.
The 33-year-old was last night added to the UCI's 'provisionally suspended' list.
The rider's younger brother Valentin, 30, also tested positive for EPO ten days later. He was subsequently sacked by Astana.
The team's general manager Alexandre Vinokourov, who himself served a two-year suspension for blood doping after testing positive at the 2007 Tour de France, said: “All Astana Pro Team riders are contractually obliged to respect strict ethical rules and regulations.
“We will not tolerate any indulgences. I am very disappointed and angered that this rider could not have understood the basis of our rules and the importance of our ethics.
"It is especially unacceptable on the part of a Kazakh rider who stands for the image of our team and the image of our country.”
Iglinskiy won Liége-Bastogne-Liége in 2012 and this year rode in support of Vincenzo Nibali during the Italian's Tour de France victory. He finished 129th in the general classification.
As a member of the Movement for a Credible Cycling (MPCC), Astana may now have to stop racing for eight days, which would see the team miss the Tour of Beijing and the Giro di Lombardia.