Le Tour de France: Top 4 Green Jersey Contenders

While spectators and prognosticators pay attention to this Tour's epic climbs that will likely determine the GC winner, another battle is not so quietly taking place for the fastest man on pavement. The winner of this battle will, however, have a difficult field and new scoring system to contend with.

In years past, a stage winner received only five points more than the second-place finisher. This year, the Tour is awarding the stage winner 20 points more than the second-place finisher, deeming some to call the new rules "anti-Sagan," a reference to the three-time green jersey champion who's only won four stages in his career.

This year's sprinters will also have one fewer contender to concern themselves with: Marcel Kittel's illness and lack of recent competitive cycling will keep him out of this year's Tour.

Here are the top four contenders to watch as they race for green jersey glory.

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