New Zealand's Watts banned for punching fellow rider during race

World cycling's governing body (UCI) said it has banned New Zealand's Kiaan Watts for 25 days after he punched a fellow rider during a race last month.

Video footage showed the 24-year-old punching Dutch cyclist Marijn Maas in the head during the Salverda Bouw Ster van Zwolle race in the Netherlands on March 7.

The UCI said Watts had accepted the sanction and will serve a suspension until May 2.

"Kiaan Watts will serve a period of suspension of 25 days, with the one-day suspension imposed on the rider by his team on March 8 being credited from the period of suspension," the UCI said in a statement.

After the incident, Watts posted an apology on social media and said he had acted in the heat of the moment, while his NSN Development Team also issued an apology.

"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," it said.