After some unflattering photos of Belgian cyclist Gijs van Hoecke were taken outside of a London-area nightclub, his nation's Olympic Committee told the 20-year-old omnium participant to “walk it off” ...all the way back to Brussels.

"I made a big mistake," he told a Belgian newspaper. "I'm happy my parents didn't tell me off. They understand that I needed this."

(By “this,” he likely meant “consuming enough alcohol to kill a small horse.”) See the compilation of drunken photos on TMZ.

Hoecke is unlikely to face any supplementary discipline and shouldn't have his 15^th place finish stripped from the record books. He must, however, endure the crippling shame that comes along with being a college-aged kid who got a little too drunk one night.

Photo: Mark Gunter/Getty Image Sports/ Getty Images