Green jersey winner in 2007 Tom Boonen says the rules brought in for this year's Tour de France will have a major effect on the chase for points.
Belgian rider Boonen, who will once again race for Quick Step in the 2011 Tour, says that the reduction to a single intermediate sprint per stage and a new system for allocating points will change the way teams approach the battle for the green jersey.
"It will likely change a lot of things if a team is really chasing that intermediate sprint," Boonen said. "It might make the breakaways more difficult to go away.
"It's like having two finish lines each day for the sprinters," he added.
As of this year 20 points will be given to the first rider over the intermediate line, with a sliding scale of points up for grabs down to the 15th-placed rider.
Meanwhile at the finish of flat stages, 45 points will be pocketed by the winner, with 30 available on hilly stages and 20 in the mountains. Again, there will be a sliding scale down to 15th place.
And while Boonen argues the new rules may make the Tour even more absorbing for fans, it may cause a few planning headaches for riders and teams.
"I think it's interesting for the fans to follow the race, but it makes it more difficult for the riders," he said. "We will see how it unfolds over the course of the race."
Boonen may be hoping the new rules will help him recover some of the form which brought him his sole Tour green jersey four years ago.
Since then, lack of form and fitness have seen him slip behind the likes of Mark Cavendish, Alessandro Petacchi, Thor Hushovd and Philippe Gilbert in the list of favourites for the points competition.
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