VIDEO: Maxim van Gils incredibly slaps Georgios Bouglas in the back of the head during sprint

There were some crazy scenes at the Japan Cup Critérium as Lotto Dstny's Maxim van Gils clearly slapped Georgios Bouglas in the back of the head during the sprint finish.

In a statement released by Lotto Dstny in the aftermath of the incident, van Gils admits he was wrong. "I deeply regret what I did and have already apologised to the race jury. They gave me a fine (50CHF) and I will lose some UCI points. The gesture was a reaction on the dangerous behaviour of another rider, but I know what I did was wrong."

"It was a reaction in the heat of the moment but a wrong one and I should not have punched him and kept my hands on the handlebars. I accept the penalty of the UCI and I apologise for what I did. This is also an important lesson for the future to keep myself calm in situations like this and to react in a proper way after the race."

Check out the crazy scenes for yourself in the video down below!

Tonight on PPV: Maxim van Gils vs Georgios Bouglas. 🥊 #JapanCup pic.twitter.com/SzNAGzntGU

— Benji Naesen (@BenjiNaesen) October 14, 2023