Many pundits have commented on Tinkoff-Saxo’s presence at throughout each of the Giro stages at the opening week, with some wondering if they are doing too much too soon.

But for DS Steven De Jongh, it will all be worth it to keep Alberto Contador out of trouble.

“It’s better to be at the front than fighting for position in the wheels,” De Jongh said. “We want to stay safe. We know how these stages are hard if you don’t keep in good position. It’s better to work than be in the wheels, but we won’t do this all the way to Milan.”

Others, even riders like Canadian Ryder Hesjedal, are bemused by the tactics employed by the Russian team.

“I don’t know why Tinkoff is pulling like that all day,” the 2012 Giro champ said. “They can keep grinding away. That’s fine by me.”

“When I saw Tinkoff pulling so much, I knew that the break would not stay away,” Philippe Gilbert said of stage 2. “Of course, they want to be safe in the front position of the peloton, and they want to keep the race under control. I can understand. It’s a lot of work for them, and the Giro is a long three weeks.”