The three grand tours, which are not officially part of the ProTour yet, have taken a hard line against the UCI's rule that start money should be increased in ProTour events. Although they have permitted the 20 ProTour teams to start in their races, the start money is unchanged.
Davitamon-Lotto's sports director Hendrik Redant said to De Telegraaf that there are "extra costs" involved with running a ProTour team. "So we have three extra personnel in Tirreno. Not only do we need extra hotel rooms, the personnel also have to be paid."
