Mateusz Cierniak: I don’t know when my past years in Lublin have gone by (interview)

For Mateusz Cierniak, the concluded season was the first he spent among the seniors. How did the last few months look from his perspective? What went well, and what could have gone better? What are the plans for the 2025 season? Where will he rest this year after the season’s hardships?

Tomasz Kania (ekstraliga.pl): Mateusz, during our last conversation at the PGE Ekstraliga gala in 2023, we talked about your transition from junior to senior. How did this transition go from your perspective?

I thought we were going to talk about the weather (laughs). I think I can be satisfied with an average of 1.7 points per race. It’s not much lower than last season when I still had junior races. I am satisfied with this season. Things could always be a little better, but I think that apart from occasional mistakes when I performed ‘terribly,’ I was a consistent competitor. I gained more experience, took on new tasks and challenges, and we are aiming for more.

Let’s talk about these new tasks then – are you referring to working with younger team members or other activities?

I’m mainly talking about the new starting number issues, a different race layout. I think that was the hardest part of transitioning from the junior role to the senior role. It largely also ‘sat in the head,’ the thought that I’m no longer a junior. Other than that, it’s the same racing, round and round (laughs).

The theme of this year’s season summary gala was the Polish edition of the series ‘The Office.’ For you, was this season also just another day at the office, another season, another gold?

If I were a fan looking at the plain facts, points, and the overall season, I could describe it that way. However, I believe it was a tough season, and this third gold in a row was no easier than the previous two seasons. The biggest plus was definitely that the whole team avoided injuries. Besides that, each of us dealt with various problems, finally achieving a good result, but it wasn’t easy.

Are you already thinking about the next season? Do you plan where you would like to appear, what to achieve, where to reach in particular competitions, cycles?

I think I can talk about it after October 20th, as I have one more competition, the European Pairs Championship in Lonigo, so despite the PGE Ekstraliga Gala, I’m not officially wrapping up the season yet. I definitely want to continue improving my level to make it better and more exciting, I believe I can do more. There will still be time for reflections on individual plans – I wanted to enter the SEC cycle in 2024, I was close, so maybe I will transfer these plans to next year. I will be able to think about the other things at the beginning of the next season when the qualifications for various competitions begin.

I remember that last year, the day after the season summary gala, you went to Iceland. What are your vacation plans this year?

Similar to last year – shortly after the PGE Ekstraliga Gala I am leaving. I’m flying to Cyprus for a cycling camp, where I will train with a road bike for a week. Generally, I rarely tolerate a typically ‘restful’ vacation; I always try to combine it with activity, with cycling, running, or anything related to sports.

Finally – how to avoid falling into the routine of winning with the current team and not feel the urge to change the environment over time?

For now, I’m not thinking about it, I’m already entering my fifth year of racing in Lublin, I don’t know when it flew by, but surely fast. At the moment, my strategy is why change anything if it’s good. I feel good in Lublin; everything is as it should be. You could say that together with Dominik Kubera, we will be the guard that hasn’t changed because other competitors are ‘traveling’ around clubs.