Cycling: Armstrong inquiry reveals 'nothing'

A French judicial official announced here yesterday that an investigation into Lance Armstrong's US Postal Service team was nearly over and so far has yielded no results to suggest the squad used banned substances.

"The inquiry will end soon," Francois Franchi said. "We have found nothing so far." He did not say when he expected the inquiry to end.

The investigation into whether the team violated anti-doping rules in the 2000 Tour de France, which Armstrong won, began in November of that year. Armstrong and nine team-mates were summoned to appear last month before investigators seeking additional information.

The horse breeder, Bernard Sainz, who was linked to the 1998 Tour De France doping scandal and arrested last month for doping offences, was released from jail yesterday after substances found by Belgian police in his car last month turned out to be homoeopathic remedies.

Sainz was charged with possessing illegal hormonal products after being stopped by police for speeding. Police also raided the house of the Belgian cyclist, Frank Vandenbroucke, after Sainz told them he had spent the previous night there.