Lance Armstrong finally at ease after probe comes to close

AUSTIN, TEXAS — As far as Lance Armstrong is concerned, it’s all over.

The stress, the waiting, the whispers about whether he doped during his stellar cycling career, all of it ended when - after nearly two years - federal prosecutors closed an investigation of him last week without bringing any charges.

“I’m happy. I’m glad it’s behind me,” Armstrong told the Associated Press on Thursday in his first interview since prosecutors announced they were dropping the case.

The seven-time Tour de France winner said he remained confident he would not be indicted, but Armstrong conceded the weight of the long investigation took a toll personally.

“It’s not a pleasant experience … It was difficult at times,” he said. “But I was confident that we would always end up in this place.”

After speaking with the AP, Armstrong participated in a teleconference with media covering this weekend’s triathlon in Panama City, Panama, where he is scheduled to compete.

For the now 40-year-old Armstrong, the federal government’s decision should put a stop to any allegations or rumors about performance-enhancing drug use during his career.

“It’s over,” he said. “I’m moving on.”

Armstrong maintains he has never failed a drug test, but he nonetheless became the focus of investigators’ attention after former teammate Floyd Landis accused him in 2010 of participating in a doping program.

Landis was stripped of his 2006 Tour title after failing a drug test. Armstrong won every Tour from 1999 through 2005.

A federal grand jury in Los Angeles looked at whether a doping program was established for Armstrong’s team while, at least part of the time, it received government sponsorship from the U.S. Postal Service.

U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. announced last Friday his office had closed the case but did not give a reason. The World Anti-Doping Agency followed up this week by urging the U.S. government to quickly hand over evidence collected in the investigation.

“I don’t want to get bogged down with that. I’m not concerned with that. I’m not going to worry about that,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong, who has been known to attack his critics in the media and on Twitter, had only issued a muted written statement in response to the end of the investigation when the decision was first announced.

He was reluctant to talk much more about it Thursday but said he had a quiet celebration with his family when the investigation was closed.

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