Tom Boonen predicts a tough Tour de France in 2011
Belgian sprinter Tom Boonen expects the 2011 edition of the Tour de France to be hotly contested, particularly in the points classification, where the organisers of the race have made significant changes
to the rules.
Boonen, who has six stage wins on the Tour, said the start of the 2011 route at the Passage du Gois, which is used for the second time since being introduced in 1999, could prove especially tricky.
"It's going to be a nice Tour: challenging and nervous right from the start on the roads of Bretagne, which are typified by the wind that beats the Atlantic coasts, and the spectacular as it is insidious
Passage du Gois," the Belgian said of the route chosen by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), organisers of the Tour. "Each stage will be a battle, as it always is and always has been at the Grande Boucle."
Changes to the points classification
For next year's race, the ASO has overhauled the points system for the green jersey, changing especially the points awarded for intermediate sprints. Whereas there have traditionally been three intermediate
sprints on each sprint stage, the new route has only one per day.
In addition, that single sprint will award 20 points to the winner as opposed to six, while stage winners will earn 45 points instead of 40.
Boonen, who won the tour's points classification in 2007, said that the changes will render the battle for the green jersey tougher than it has been in previous years.
"With the new system for assigning points for the green jersey, the struggle among the sprinters will be harder than ever. In the stages arriving with sprints, there will always be two of them. Whoever
is trying for the green jersey will not only have to sprint over the finish line to take the stage, they will also have to sprint at the intermediate sprint that will assign important points up to 15th place."
The Quick Step rider, who had a relatively quiet 2010 season, picking up two stage wins at the Tour of Qatar, will face strong competition from Mark Cavendish, Thor Hushovd and Alessandro Petacchi, this
year's green jersey winner, at the 2011 Tour.
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