GEROLSTEIN , Germany -- Mineral water company Gerolsteiner have decided to drop their sponsorship of the German ProTour cycling team , which expires at the end of the 2008 season . German rider Stefan Schumacher is a member of the Gerolsteiner team . Gerolsteiner , who have been team sponsors since 1998 , said there was a change in marketing strategy . Gerolsteiner has invested around $ 12 million annually in the team , which includes riders Stefan Schumacher , Fabian Wegmann , Markus Fothen and Robert Foerster . Gerolsteiner said on Tuesday they were no longer reaching their targeted audience through cycling because it was changing from being solely a producer of mineral water to a supplier of nonalcoholic drinks . Gerolsteiner team chief Hans-Michael Holczer was deeply upset by the news . `` There were tears in my eyes , '' said Holczer . The German Cycling Federation -LRB- BDR -RRB- said they would help the team to find a new sponsor . `` It is not an entirely unexpected decision . After such a long collaboration , you notice changes in your partner , '' said Holczer , who will begin the hunt for a new sponsor . `` We have one of the best teams on the market with a national and international reputation . '' 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 the Spanish Vuelta , the team said on Tuesday . He tested positive for a non-amphetamine appetite suppressant . Bernucci is licensed by the Monaco cycling federation , which will be responsible for further investigation and possible additional sanctions , T-Mobile said . He tested positive 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 . `` 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 . '' E-mail to a friend