'I saw red': Kiwi cyclist reveals disgusting moment that led to punching rival mid-race

New Zealand cyclist Kiaan Watts has revealed what led to him punching another rider during a race, claiming Dutch rival Marijn Maas deliberately spat in his face at the Salverda Bouw Ster van Zwolle in the Netherlands. 

The infamous incident on March 7 created global headlines and resulted in Watts being disqualified from the race, while his NSN Development Team suspended him for 25 days. 

The fallout has been wide-ranging, with continual online abuse, including messages encouraging self-harm, leading to Watts speaking to a sports psychologist. 

He also claims NSN have left him out to dry on contract renegotiations, meaning he’s now in talks to join a new team for 2027. 

Watts accepts there had to be repercussions and apologised for his actions, but speaking to Newstalk ZB, he explained he reacted to Maas spitting in his face. 

“He had a disagreement with how I was racing. On my side, it was just tactically that was my plan and he wasn’t a fan of that,” Watts said. 

“So he proceeded to turn around and spit on purpose, spit in my face,” Watts claims. 

“It went in my face and in my mouth ... we’re racing, so that was open at the time, and then probably not my finest moment and I do regret it. 

“I just saw red and proceeded to sprint up next to him on the front of the peloton and what happened, happened. 

“If I could go back and redo everything again, I definitely would have probably kept my composure but that’s just how things played out. What I did was definitely the wrong thing to do but what he did was also the wrong thing.” 

Kiaan Watts's altercation with a Marijn Maas. 

The aftermath proved difficult for Watts, who said he felt exposed to criticism after his team opted against publicly escalating the dispute by detailing his version of events. 

While acknowledging there needed to be consequences for his actions, the New Zealander believed some criticism was unfair, while the incident went viral and led to abusive messages. 

“Some of the messages were just disgusting to be frank, saying I should kill myself, saying that they’re going to turn up to my next race and hurt me, saying that I do the same thing to my girlfriend,” Watts said. 

“I wish things had not happened in the first place but also the way that things were handled in the aftermath made me unhappy. 

“I understand their [NSN] point of view and how they wanted to shield or sort of back away from the issue, obviously don’t want to yeah, like play the blame game and drag things out further, but it left me exposed to a lot of criticism which was both fair and unfair.” 

Despite the public reaction, Watts said fellow riders were largely sympathetic, with many approaching him during subsequent races to offer their support. 

“Riders were coming up to me almost every race and, because they’d all sort of dealt with something similar, they were empathetic with what had happened,” Watts said. 

“Most, if not all of them, would have said to me that they would have reacted the exact same way, and they have reacted the same way to similar situations. 

“Unless you’ve been there and done that, like a lot of the staff and riders have been, then you don’t quite realise some of the bulls**t that happens during races and some of the disagreements. 

“It’s going to happen because we’re all fighting for the same piece of road that’s one lane wide.” 

Watts said he was unaware of any punishment handed to Maas. 

The Herald has contacted Maas’ team, BEAT Cycling Club, for comment. 

The incident comes at the end of a difficult period for Watts, who has also confirmed he will not return to NSN after three years with the organisation. 

Kiaan Watts during the 2026 Tour of Southland. Photo / Tour of Southland 

Watts said he was disappointed with how contract negotiations unfolded, claiming promises were not kept and communication from management was lacking as he sought clarity. 

He said he had been left chasing an answer about whether he would be retained, with confirmation only arriving in mid-September. 

NSN have re-signed fellow Kiwis George Bennett, Corbin Strong and Dion Smith. 

Watts said he now had one or two concrete offers on the table while awaiting responses from other teams. 

Despite his frustration with the contract process, he said there was no bad blood with the wider team, describing his three years with the organisation as an enjoyable experience. 

“They really felt like home there, it was a big family,” he said. 

“I’m going to miss being part of that set-up, absolutely. It was really a pleasure to be a part of, it was an awesome three years.” 

SUICIDE AND DEPRESSION 

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Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.