CYCLING/Tour de France: The first great set-piece confrontation of the Tour de France was eagerly anticipated and it took place yesterday, the eve of the race, when Lance Armstrong confronted his bête noire, Ireland's London Sunday Times journalist David Walsh, co-author of the investigative book on the Texan's career, LA Confidential, which is the subject of legal proceedings in London and Paris.

Walsh, who exposed Armstrong's links with the Italian trainer Michele Ferrari, currently in court on drugs allegations, sat a few yards from the Texan, separated only by a bank of cameras and a baize table as the five-time Tour winner gave his press conference.

LA Confidential, which contains the extensive testimony of Emma O'Reilly, a former masseuse in Armstrong's US Postal Service team, was mentioned once amid banalities about his form ("I feel stronger than last year,"), his rock-star girlfriend Sheryl Crow ("she's here") and the course.

The question asked most here, usually in a whisper, is "have you read the book?", but Armstrong limited himself to a single Blue Peter-style statement, delivered with the sarcastic aside, "especially because our esteemed author is here".

"I think extraordinary declarations must be followed up with extraordinary proof. Mr Walsh and (co-writer) Mr (Pierre) Ballester have worked for four or five years and have not come up with extraordinary proof. The case is complicated and long, but I will spend whatever it takes and however long it takes."

The defending champion has sought an injunction against the book asking that a card be inserted stating that it contains defamatory material. The case was thrown out by a Paris judge last week but his appeal is due to be heard today.

Armstrong has made other accusations, notably that the writers "spoke to hundreds, perhaps thousands of people and found only two willing to make totally false accusations".

The writers, however, insist that theirs is a serious investigation and they are merely presenting the information for the public to make up their minds.

Armstrong was more approving of the Tour organisers' decision to refuse entry to riders involved in doping inquiries. The Italian Danilo di Luca, who was brought to the race by the Saeco Coffee Machines team but has been placed under investigation with 14 other riders in Italy over doping allegations, was refused yesterday.

Tour organisers are examining the cases of three other riders: the Italians Stefano Zanini and Andrea Peron and the Czech Pavel Padrnos, a team-mate of Armstrong. The cases date back to 2001, in Italy, and their status is unclear.

There was no doubt over the case of the Spaniard Gorka Gonzalez, who was thrown out yesterday after being found "unhealthy" in the blood tests carried out on all cyclists before the Tour begins. He was found with an abnormal level of reticulocytes - young blood cells - which are checked to restrict the administration of EPO. While not officially a drug test, he will be examined further and will not race until declared "healthy".

Meanwhile, Britain's leading cyclist David Millar was yesterday placed under formal investigation under France's anti-drug laws for possession of dangerous substances after confirming to a Paris judge that he had used the banned blood-booster erythropoietin in three week-long courses in 2001 and 2003.

"He wants it known that he is deeply sorry for this," his sister Frances said yesterday. "He did not want to live a lie any longer. He has told the judge the truth, but the main thing he wishes to make clear is that this was his individual decision and he has to take responsibility for his decisions."

The Scot had been expected to compete in the time-trial and track pursuit in the Olympics in Athens, but last night he was suspended by British Cycling.

Millar's dramatic announcement came at the end of a 2½-hour interview in the Paris suburb of Nanterre with Richard Pallain, the judge leading the inquiry into alleged drug-taking within Millar's Cofidis team.

Millar faces an uncertain future. An admission of doping is now taken within cycling as the equivalent of a positive test and when he appears before a disciplinary commission of British Cycling he is likely to face a ban of up to two years.

There will be shock waves on the race, partly because Millar has never failed a drugs test - which raises questions about the efficiency of tests for EPO - but mainly because of fears that the French police may decide to broaden their inquiries.