JANOWSKI'S POLISH PRIDE

Polish racer Maciej Janowski admits he spent 2020 determined to “show that I deserve to ride with an eagle on my chest” after being recalled to the national side for this season.

Magic was controversially left out of last year’s Polish squad by then coach Marek Cieslak after missing his country’s test match with a Rest of the World team in Rybnik in October 2019 due to illness.

But newly-appointed Polish team manager Rafal Dobrucki wasted no time in welcoming Janowski back into the fold when he announced his first squad before Christmas.

The Wroclaw hero admits his season out of the team was strange, but he was determined to put Cieslak’s decision and the media firestorm that followed it out of his mind and do his talking on the track.

He told Sportowefakty.pl: “It was a completely new situation for me, but the approach I took was that I wouldn't go into it. I didn't want to blow it up in my head because I assumed that it would only prevent me from getting results.

“If I thought every day about the fact that I was not in the frame, my head could have suffered. I had my plans and goals that I wanted to achieve.

“I took it as a gap year and did my best to show that I deserve to ride with an eagle on my chest. That was my tactic.”

Janowski didn’t take long to accept Dobrucki’s invite to return for 2021. He added: “It was a very friendly conversation. It was short because we were both to the point. Rafal said he wanted me in the frame.

“I immediately replied that I would be happy to come back and represent the colours of our country. I've been away for a year and that's enough for me. We closed the topic really quickly.”

Janowski’s rift with Cieslak was a hot topic throughout the months that followed, but the rider is hopeful they can move on from the dispute one day.

He added: “I am convinced that I will see coach Cieslak and we will exchange a few words about those events.

“I believe that this whole situation is not good for either side. I think it would be worth shutting down. There is no point in having bad blood and offending each other. It's high time to sort this out.”