The T-Mobile team has opted not to select Ukrainian time trial specialist Sergei Honchar for next month's Tour de France following a suspicious blood test last month.

Honchar, the winner of two time trial stages in last year's Tour, was sidelined from T-Mobile’s Giro d'Italia squad last month after a blood test showed “abnormalities,” suggesting that he had doped.

T-Mobile manager Bob Stapleton said the one-time Soviet rider, who will turn 37 four days before the July 7 start of the Tour, will not race for the team next season.

"A blood health check showed abnormalities four weeks ago,” said Stapleton. “We will now carry out a new test to decide whether he will be able to ride for us again. He isn't on our list of riders for the Tour de France. In principle, this is his final season with us."

Honchar's test came amid a series of confessions from former T-Mobile (formerly Telekom) riders, including 1996 Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis and former sprint king Erik Zabel.

Both were among several from the German outfit to admit to using the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin) during the 1990s.

The round of recent confessions have proved hugely damaging to T-Mobile, one of the biggest teams in professional cycling, especially as they began the season with the aim of making a 'fresh' start following the sacking of star rider Jan Ullrich, who was implicated in the Operation Puerto doping scandal.

Stapleton admitted Wednesday he was no longer certain that his team would be free of doping.

"Doping is so anchored in the sport (cycling) that we just never know," added the American, who was brought on board to spearhead T-Mobile's renewal last September. "I can't swear and say it doesn't exist in the team. But I know that all of our riders have come here with the right attitude - otherwise they would not have fit in with our strict anti-doping policy."

Despite the recent controversy surrounding riders from the team's past, T-Mobile has been one of the top teams this season with 11 wins in all.

Directeur sportif Rolf Aldag was one of the repentant riders from the “doping era” at Telekom, however Stapleton said the German would be kept on board, noting that his presence might even help in the team's bid to eradicate doping.

"His doping offences were so long ago, and he has changed since then. In our kind of work, I believe it’s even useful to have Rolf around given his knowledge and experience," added Stapleton.