Alpecin to drop 'doping for your hair' slogan...but only for a month

Caffeine shampoo producers Alpecin will drop their controversial 'doping for your hair' slogan for the duration of the Tour de France, so as not to detract from the Giant-Alpecin riders' performances in July.

The company, who took over the title sponsorship of the former Giant-Shimano team in January, even employed Jan Ullrich as the face of their brand as recently as 2012.

But with the team promoting a drug-free sport, Alpecin bosses are willing to relinquish the slogan until the end of the Tour on July 26, according to AFP.

"I would hope that Alpecin as sponsors, and above all the cyclists, will not be the subject of any discussions during the next three weeks of the Tour," said Alpecin's managing director Edward R. Doerrenberg in a statement.

"We are aware of our responsibility and therefore distinguish clearly between the claims of an effective product and fraud in sport."

In their most recent guise, Giant-Alpecin enjoyed a strong start to the 2015 season, with John Degenkolb winning both Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix.

The team are the only German registered squad in the Tour de France this year, and the race will be shown live on free-to-air television in the country for the first time since 2012.