In this July 25, 2004 file photo, overall leader Lance Armstrong, of Austin, Texas, rides down the Champs Elysees avenue past U.S. flags during the 20th and last stage of the Tour de France cycling race between Montereau, southeast of Paris, and the Champs-Elysees in Paris. Federal prosecutors said, Friday, Feb. 3, 2012, they are closing a criminal investigation of Armstrong and will not charge him over allegations the seven-time Tour de France winner used performance-enhancing drugs. (AP Photo/Franck Prevel, File)GREG RISLING, Associated Press
LOS ANGELES – Federal prosecutors dropped their investigation of Lance Armstrong on Friday, ending a nearly two-year effort aimed at determining whether the seven-time Tour de France winner and his teammates participated in a doping program.
Armstrong has steadfastly denied he doped during his unparalleled career, but the possibility of criminal charges threatened to stain his legacy as the world’s greatest cyclist and could have cast a shadow over his cancer charity work.
“This is great news,” Armstrong attorney Mark Fabiani said in a statement. “Lance is pleased that the United States Attorney made the right decision, and he is more determined than ever to devote his time and energy to Livestrong and to the causes that have defined his career.”
The probe, anchored in Los Angeles where a grand jury was presented evidence by federal prosecutors and heard testimony from Armstrong’s former teammates and associates, began with a separate investigation of Rock Racing, a cycling team owned by fashion entrepreneur Michael Ball.