The incident occurred with 33 kilometers remaining in the race on March 7, according to multiple reports. Television cameras captured Watts punching Maas in the head during the event. Marijn Maas wobbled slightly on his bike but remained upright and avoided injury, sources said. The organizers did not tolerate the aggression and immediately excluded the perpetrator from the competition. Kiaan Watts was removed from a race the following day (March 8) by his team following the incident.
The International Cycling Union investigated the incident and imposed a 25-day ban and a fine on Kiaan Watts. According to the UCI, the rider acknowledged violating article 12.4.009 of the UCI Regulations and accepted the sanction proposed by the UCI. Besides the sanctions imposed during the race (disqualification, a fine of CHF 200, and deduction of 25 UCI Points), Kiaan Watts will serve a 25-day suspension from April 9, 2026, to May 2, 2026. The one-day suspension imposed by his team on March 8, 2026, is credited from the period of suspension. The proceedings were settled by means of an Acceptance of Consequences pursuant to article 12.6.019 of the UCI Regulations.
NSN Development Team deeply regrets the actions of Kiaan Watts today at the Salverda Bouw Ster van Zwolle race. The team expects that its riders race in a 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. As a result, the team has decided to remove Kiaan from Dorpenomloop Rucphen tomorrow to give him time to reflect on his actions and the consequences.
Kiaan Watts issued an apology on social media following the incident, saying he acted in the heat of the moment. He expressed regrets to his rival, his team, the organizers, and cycling authorities, promising to learn from this misconduct. Watts mentioned provocation to justify his reaction, but the exact circumstances are not entirely established. The specific provocation, if any, that led to the punch remains unclear, and it is unknown what disciplinary actions, if any, were taken against Marijn Maas.
Kiaan Watts' team, NSN Development Team, stated it deeply regrets his actions. The team expects its riders to race in a sporting and professional manner at all times and apologized to Marijn Maas, the BEAT CC p/b Saxo team, race organizers, and UCI commissaires. The team removed Kiaan Watts from the Dorpenomloop Rucphen race on March 8 to give him time to reflect on his actions and consequences. The team reacted firmly by withdrawing him from the race planned for the next day. It reaffirmed its attachment to sports values and professionalism and reiterated its demands regarding behavior from all its members.
Kiaan Watts rides for the NSN Development Team and is 24 years old. The exact content of his social media apology has not been disclosed, and it is unknown how Marijn Maas or his team responded to the incident and apology. The long-term impact of this ban on Watts' cycling career remains to be seen.