Quinn Simmons is unlikely to race for Trek-Segafredo this season. The American rider was suspended Wednesday night for a social media post that the team described as "divisive, inflammatory, and harmful."

Ahead of Thursday's Giro d'Italia Grande Partenza in Palermo, Trek-Segafredo general manager Luca Guercilena said the 19-year-old's suspension will be determined by agreement with team owner Trek Bikes

"Right now, Ryder is clearly suspended. We still have to decide on the length of the suspension, but with five races left in the season, we cannot rule out the possibility that he will not race again this year," Guercilena said.

"Even though there are no excuses, we must remember that this is a decision and a statement from a 19-year-old boy. We feel that we need to carefully reflect on the decisions we need to take. Together with the company that owns the team, we will decide what to do going forward."

Simmons was suspended by cycling journalist and commentator José Bean in response to a post about the upcoming US election in which he asked Donald Trump supporters to stop following him on Twitter. In response, the American wrote "Bye-bye," followed by an emoji of a dark skin-colored hand waving.

The use of black emojis by whites online has been repeatedly singled out as racist, with the term "digital blackface (open in new tab)" coined.

Trek-Segafredo released a statement Wednesday evening suspending Simmons "until further notice" and "taking responsibility for his words and actions," adding: "Regrettably, team rider Quinn Simmons is a member of the team, pro cycling, its fans, and our Regrettably, team rider Quinn Simmons has made statements online that we feel are divisive, inflammatory, and harmful to the team, pro cycling, its fans, and the positive future we hope to help create for the sport.

Simmons is in his first season as a professional after winning the junior road race at the 2019 World Championships. He completed Flèche Wallonne on Wednesday and was scheduled to participate in the upcoming cobbled classic.

On Thursday, Vincenzo Nibali, who will lead Trek-Segafredo in the Giro, downplayed the idea of professional cyclists using the platform to discuss political issues with their peers from other sports.

"As a child, I was always told that voting was private, so I never allowed myself to make political statements in public," Nibali said.

While athletes in basketball, tennis, soccer, and Formula 1 have expressed their support for the "Black Lives Matter" movement in recent months, at the Tour de France, riders were given the slogan "against racism" before the start of the final stage to Paris No such activity was seen until they wore face masks.