The Tour de France may have lost some luster among some fans due to the lack of Lance Armstrong, but there are still plenty of reasons to watch the 2015 event.

The 2015 Tour de France begins on Saturday, July 4 and extends throughout the month. The world famous bicycle race is getting ready to start its 102nd edition. While Armstrong is not in the race due to doping, it is still bound to be an exciting one this year.

Here are five reasons to get excited about the Tour de France 2015.

1. Extreme conditions

Europe is slated to have sweltering heat through the month of July, making the race even more difficult than ever. Several European countries have issued weather alerts about the heatwave.

2. Three USA Teams

The Tour de France will have three U.S. teams competing in the race. The teams are the BMC Racing Team, the Cannondale-Garmin team and the Trek Factory Racing team. What better way to spend the 4th of July than by cheering for your home country?

3. Two Americans are among top contenders

Bicycling.com is projecting that Tejay van Garderen of the BMC Racing Team and Andrew Tolansky of Cannondale-Garmin are contenders to win the Tour de France. They note that van Garderen has had a good season with a stage win at the Volta Catalunya and a second place finish at the Tour of Oman.

4. Rule changes

The upcoming race will feature time bonuses. Through the first part of the Tour, in stages 2-8, time bonuses will be awarded to the top three finishers. The first place finisher receives a 10-second bonus, the second place a six-second bonus and the third place a four-second bonus.

5. Multi-country tour

The Tour de France begins in the Netherlands, goes through Belgium and concludes in France at the Champs-élysées. With only two rest days planned from July 4-26, the 198 racers are in for an epic race.

Tags: Tour de France Tour de France 2015