Oscar Pereiro kept the yellow jersey in Wednesday’s first stage of the Tour de Romandie despite Alessandro Petacchi (Fassa Bortolo) moving into a tie with the Spanish prologue winner.

Pereiro won the opening prologue in Geneva by less than a half-second over the surprising Paolo Savoldelli (Discovery Channel), but to Pereiro, it was no surprise at all that he won.

“I told the team and also my wife that I'd celebrate my first win of the season in Geneva. I'm in good shape. Also, the course, which is very demanding technically, is ideal for me. The fact that I was the last rider to start the race spurred me on even more,” Pereiro said. “(Savoldelli) surprised me. In the final three curves I risked everything. For me it was clear: either I win or I fall.”

Pereiro said he will ride to protect the jersey as long as possible, though he could lose it in Thursday’s hilly second stage if it comes down to a sprint again. Time bonuses could tip the jersey toward one of the sprinters.

When asked about fighting for the overall, Pereiro was more cautious.

“That will be very difficult. The teams are stronger and more balanced than those last year,” he said. “But if the head and legs continue to be in tune like they were (Tuesday) then, come May 1st, I'll be wearing the yellow jersey after the fifth stage when I cross the finish line in the Stade Olympique in Lausanne.”

‘Big three’ to meet to discuss ProTour impasse
The movers and shakers in European cycling are scheduled to meet next week in Paris to try to find some common ground in what’s been a difficult birth for the ProTour series.

Representatives from the three grand tours – the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a España – will sit down with officials from the professional teams association and the professional racers association to discuss the ProTour.

The major races have butted heads with teams and the UCI over the future of the ProTour. The meeting comes just days after the Giro agreed to pay the 20 ProTour teams appearance fees for the season’s first grand tour.

“The ProTour has good things, but the problem is that it’s a league that’s closed for four years and kills everyone else,” Vuelta director Victor Cordero told the Spanish wires. “What team is going to enter cycling and wait four years to enter the ProTour? No one will do it.”

León Sanchez back
Rising Spanish star Luis León Sanchez returns to action in next weekend’s Clasico Alcobendas (May 7-8) near Madrid after recovering from a fractured wrist suffered at Gent-Wevelgem on April 6.

“For two weeks already I’ve been able to go out to train with normality. I do not have troubles on the hand, but I have to put on a strong bandage,” said the Tour Down Under winner. “I believe that this stop has been good, because I had a few days without touching the bicycle. It’s allowed me to refresh myself physically and mentally. I’ve been going non-stop since the Tour Down Under.”

After Alcobendas, where he won a stage last year, León Sanchez will race at the Volta a Catalunya, Euskal Bizikleta and the team’s time trial in Holland. He also is on the short-list for Liberty Seguros’ Tour de France team.

“Manolo Saiz told me at the beginning of the season that I might be able to go to the Tour,” he said. “Everything depends on how things go in the next few races.”

Liberty narrows list for Giro, Tour
Liberty Seguros boss Manolo Saiz has narrowed his list for the season’s upcoming grand tours. With the Giro d’Italia start just a week away, the team is already set. For the Tour de France, several riders on a short list, including: Joseba Beloki, Dariusz Baranowski, René Andrle, Alberto Contador, Igor González de Galdeano, Roberto Heras, Isidro Nozal, Marcos Serrano, Angel Vicioso, Luis León Sánchez, Jörg Jaksche and Allan Davis.

Liberty Seguros for Giro d’Italia
Michele Scarponi
Dariusz Baranowski
René Andrle
Jan Hruska
Giampaolo Caruso
Nuno Ribeiro
Joseba Beloki
Koldo Gil
Javier Rimerez Abeja
Carlos Barredo
Jesús Hernández

Ribeiro leads Castilla y Leon
Sergio Ribeiro (Barbot Pascual) upset the Milaneza-Maia team to take the opening stage Wednesday in the Vuelta a Castilla y León in a bunch sprint. The 142km stage hit two challenging climbs, including the Cat. 1 Alto de Foncebadón. Two riders -- José López (Kaiku) y Oscar Laguna (Relax Fuenlabrada) – slipped away, but the main bunch reeled them in to set up the sprint coming into Astorga.

Nauduzs wins in France
Andris Nauduzs (Naturino) won Wednesday’s opening stage of the Circuit de Lorraine in France. The Latvian held off Sven Renders to win the 154km stage from Metz to Nancy.