\u201cHe had a disagreement with how I was racing. On my side, it was just tactically that was my plan and he wasn\u2019t a fan of that,\u201d Watts said. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo he proceeded to turn around and spit on purpose, spit in my face,\u201d Watts claims.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt went in my face and in my mouth … we\u2019re racing, so that was open at the time, and then probably not my finest moment and I do regret it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just saw red and proceeded to sprint up next to him on the front of the peloton and what happened, happened. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf I could go back and redo everything again, I definitely would have probably kept my composure but that\u2019s just how things played out. What I did was definitely the wrong thing to do but what he did was also the wrong thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kiaan Watts’s altercation with a Marijn Maas. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of the messages were just disgusting to be frank, saying I should kill myself, saying that they\u2019re going to turn up to my next race and hurt me, saying that I do the same thing to my girlfriend,\u201d Watts said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wish things had not happened in the first place but also the way that things were handled in the aftermath made me unhappy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand their [NSN] point of view and how they wanted to shield or sort of back away from the issue, obviously don\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the public reaction, Watts said fellow riders were largely sympathetic, with many approaching him during subsequent races to offer their support.<\/p>\n
\u201cRiders were coming up to me almost every race and, because they\u2019d all sort of dealt with something similar, they were empathetic with what had happened,\u201d Watts said. <\/p>\n
\u201cMost, 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnless you\u2019ve been there and done that, like a lot of the staff and riders have been, then you don\u2019t quite realise some of the bulls**t that happens during races and some of the disagreements.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to happen because we\u2019re all fighting for the same piece of road that\u2019s one lane wide.\u201d <\/p>\n
Watts said he was unaware of any punishment handed to Maas.<\/p>\n
The Herald has contacted Maas\u2019 team, BEAT Cycling Club, for comment.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Kiaan Watts during the 2026 Tour of Southland. Photo \/ Tour of Southland<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
He said he had been left chasing an answer about whether he would be retained, with confirmation only arriving in mid-September.<\/p>\n
NSN have re-signed fellow Kiwis George Bennett, Corbin Strong and Dion Smith.<\/p>\n
Watts said he now had one or two concrete offers on the table while awaiting responses from other teams. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey really felt like home there, it was a big family,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m 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.\u201d<\/p>\n