Not sure I agree with that, but I do think that this change is much more significant than the choice of route.

One intermediate sprint, but worth half as much as a stage win. That means the big teams - and their sprinters - will need to stay active and chase down the breakaways, and that could mean more opportunities to force Cavendish etc to burn themselves out. It could favour the strongmen over the pure sprinters, especially since there seem to be some sharp climbs in the early stages.