Egan Bernal will miss the Vuelta a San Juan's Ruta Ciclista del Sol as he continues to recover from a knee injury that forced him to abandon the Vuelta a San Juan.

The Spanish stage race had been touted as a duel between Tadei Pogacar and Bernal, who won solo at the Clasica Jaen Paraiso Interior on Monday.

However, Ineos Grenadiers admitted to Cyclingnews that Bernal will be absent in Andalusia, but the team is "optimistic" that the Colombian will return to the peloton within a few weeks.

Paris-Nice is included in Bernal's early season plans, but it is unclear if other races will be added before the race starts on March 5. Bernal is likely to remain in Colombia for knee treatment.

"Egan's left knee is still not 100% race-ready after his fall in San Juan, and while he would love to race, there is no sense in risking his recovery," an Ineos spokesperson told Cycling News.

"We are optimistic that he will be able to return to racing within a few weeks.

Bernal had an impressive showing in the Vuelta a San Juan mountain race, which marked one year since his career-threatening training accident in which he suffered multiple fractures, including his right femur and patella.

Bernal's performance in Argentina foreshadowed his return to the Tour de France after a three-year absence. He attacked on the fourth stage, Bareal, and finished fourth in the toughest race of the day, finishing on the summit of the 2,600-meter-high Alto Colorado. However, he retired just a few kilometers into the final stage the following afternoon.

It was later discovered that Bernal had injured his left knee in a crash in the finale of the first stage, and that the injury was aggravated by the hard riding on Alto Colorado.

"I felt a little discomfort in the mountain stages and again in yesterday's stage, so I retired just in case," Ineos sport director Xavier Sandio told Cycling News in San Juan.

"After the diagnosis, it wasn't something to be too worried about.

Bernal did not compete in the Colombian championship road race the following week, but expressed optimism that he would recover in time for Ruta del Sol.

"The team's priority was not to take any risks so that I could recover for the race in Europe," Bernal said, adding that Paris-Nice was his "first big goal."