New Zealand professional cyclist Kiaan Watts has been removed from an event in the Netherlands after he appeared to punch a fellow competitor at the front of the race.
Watts’s team issued a statement, saying that the team “deeply regrets” his actions.
“The team expects that its riders race ina sporting and professional manner at all times and wishes to extend an apology to Marijn Maas, the BEAT CC p/b Saxo team, race organisers and the UCI commissaires”, the NSN Development Team’s post on X (formerly Twitter) read.
Watts, a 24-year-old from Tauranga, was listed as disqualified from the Salverda Bouw Ster van Zwolle (1.2).
His team say he will be given time to “reflect on his actions and the consequences”.
The one-day race, based out of the Dutch city Zwolle, was won by Belgian rider Mathis Avondts. The local cyclist who Watts allegedly struck, Marijn Maas, finished 79th.
Watts is a former junior world champion in track cycling.
