What difference does a public relations filter make? Juan Sebastián Morano, in a statement from UAE Team Emirates, said he wanted to apologize to Hugo Page, adding that he "regrets" the "dangerous mistake". Behind Gap's video referee track, his words were not so polite or carefully chosen.

"I'm done with that guy," the Colombian told reporters on the scene, accusing Page of a series of dangerous actions that led to an altercation on stage 6 of the Criterium du Dauphiné.

Morano had just finished his post-race shower when he learned that he had been called to the video truck by race officials. Morano knew why and understood the fate that awaited him.

"I'm a sprinter and I know my hands should always remain on the wheel," he would say while the officials deliberated.

Morano took his right hand off the bar to strike Page in the last 10 km of stage 6, delivering a hard blow to the top of the 20-year-old's helmet.

Amazingly, he did the same at the finish line. In footage captured by the Danish TV2 crew, Morano can be seen slapping Page again on the side of his helmet. It was not as aggressive as the first blow, and it was while the two were trying to discuss the incident, but it still felt like overkill.

The riders were unable to reach an agreement, and Morano left Paige in front of the waiting reporters, who told Morano he was "crazy."

Morano refused to speak to the media as he got off the bus and walked toward the video truck, getting lost in the maze of cables by the finish line. He was seen ascending a metal staircase and gesturing inside.

When he emerged, a decision had not yet been made, but he was ready to state his case.

"I had problems with him from the beginning," Morano said of Page. "When the breakaway group did the same on stage two, he almost put me on the ground. The other day I said to him, 'Stop it already.'"

"Today, with about 10km to go, at 80km/h, he wants to change his line. I was going in my direction and he came from the other direction, changed his line and tried to make contact with me. With 10 km to go, I was stressed out and was going 80 km/h. ...... I know what I did was not good, but ...... some people will understand.

Morano apologized and admitted that deep down he knew he was wrong and would probably be thrown out of the race.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to do this. But I did it under the strain of the race."

Nevertheless, he was upset that Page had no case to answer.

"What happened on the first day and what happened after that? What happened on the first day and what happened afterwards? I was not the only one who saw it, because 50% of the peloton saw it."

Morano was then asked about the altercation across the finish line, and although there was some confusion in the translation of the question, he apparently claimed that Page had hit him. In a bizarre turn of events, after Morano returned to the bus, the jury foreman began questioning the assembled journalists about the post-stage collision and called a TV2 reporter into the truck to show him iPhone footage.

However, it was clear that a decision had already been made, and the initial strike was unlikely to escape sanction. Morano sat on the bus when confirmation was received and prepared to pack his suitcase.

"I understand why I was disqualified," he concluded, returning to team statement mode.