Tour De France entering last weekend: the American view on the Tour AND previewing the final push to Paris

20 days after the race began, the Tour De France pedaled into its final weekend this morning. Yet as an American I felt one sting of negativity nagging me as I read and listened into these historic final stages-- since Lance Armstrong, us Americans have been hard pressed to even fathom one of our own to even win a stage. So.. why watch? Frankly I do not know but it is races like this that have a way of drawing you in and for me, I am no different.  The is something about the history, the years of stories and jubilation and decades of sadness and defeat, something about the sacrifice of these athletes, and something about putting their bodies on the line and pushing the limits of human exertion all in persuite of an ultimate goal that draws you in and does not allow you to leave and for me, I am not different. So with my mind open, void of the hope that an American will win it all, I awake these weekend mornings, bound out of my room and groggily turn on the TV to watch each new stage of the greatest bike race on the planet.

As the countdown to this years final stage now slides into its final hours, a long awaited recap of one of the race's most dramatic stages seems to be in order.

Heading into this morning's bout of contention, a mere 47 seconds separated 2nd and 5th place in the overall race, the poca-dot jersey for top climber was on the line, and the young rider classification currently held by Colombian Naro Quintana was in danger of being stolen away by American rookie Andrew Talasky.

So, with the stage set, the riders took to the roads yesterday all with one singular goal. To win the final competitive stage of the Tour De France. Kicking off early, the standing held true through the first half hour of the race yet as the competition neared its final kilometers, things began to get a little hairy. Like i said before, going into this race while just 47 seconds separated those 2-5th seeded riders each was riding well and seemed firmly situated to finish this stage in relatively the same order. Oh how looks can be deceiving. With just over 10K left in the race, a fierce move to the front of the pack by TeJay Vangarden sparked a frightful charge by the rest of the Tour's contenders allowing 3rd place Naro Quintanda the right to fight forward on the podium and causing then 2nd place rider Alberto Contador to run out of steam and loose almost 3 minutes of time before ceasing his fall at 4th place.

Fact is, yesterday's race was one of epic proportions yet also one of crucial moves and possible race winning proformances.

You see as the Tour De France now grinds into its hallmark 82 mile stroll of a ride into Frances capital city this final stage, much like it has in recent years will be largely a ceremonial victory lap for the big contenders as, with nearly every category nearly locked up, for second place Quintana and third place Rodriguez  they will basically need Frome to get off his bike and take a nap for them to make this a race and contend for the overall title.

Regardless of that, today's 12PM race will be a culmination of weeks of pain and sacrifice, a final meeting for over a 100 riders, and the bookend event in the most difficult race in sports: the 100th edition of the Tour De France.