The ups and downs of racing has helped form a new awareness around Adam, who now calls California home full time. He still aims to win races but is fully aware that each season brings in new talent, just as it did for the 2020 season when he made his own high-profile jump to the 450 class and nearly won Anaheim 1.

“We say it every year that supercross and motocross is around, the levels just keep getting higher and we keep figuring out how to go faster on better equipment. I think the sport is in a better place than ever in terms of the talent that we have on the track and how many riders are capable of doing amazing things on their bike. I mean everybody out there deserves a lot of respect. If I take myself kind of outside of racing as a racer myself and looked at it all objectively, it is very dangerous and you're taking so much risk. You go through the second turn at Anaheim and you’ve got to do a triple jump and you have got three guys in front of you. You're rubbing elbows with those guys when you’re going off the face of the jump. It's not a question mark in your mind if you're doing the jump or not, you're just totally doing it. We all just kind of accept that as normal. Yeah, I think our normal is extremely and incredibly exciting.

“I think when you when you watch racing, and especially if you watch somebody like Ken Roczen or Jett Lawrence or Chase Sexton ride, I mean when I watch those guys ride, I just want to hop on a bike right away. It looks like it's so easy. I think to the casual eye it's hard to know really how much you're physically involved. But that's another thing you know, with the sport that makes them unique. It's such a combination of flexibility, endurance, strength, and you have to you have to have it all. Like you said earlier, you have to be all and you have to always being mindful of your form and where you're at. Then we have 33 races during the season where we need to stay at the top of our game and that's probably the hardest thing. The hardest thing is just kind of trying to hold that deep all year.”

No other form of motorsport requires man and racing machine become one more than motocross and supercross. World class athleticism and endurance coupled with high flying, high horsepower-motivated factory race machines, add up to a sport where a terrific amount of importance is laced upon the person twisting the throttle. Cianciarulo spoke about the dynamic. 

“Absolutely not is there a sport out there like the one we do,” declared Cianciarulo. “I mean, it's why we all love it. That's why I've dedicated my whole life to doing it, you know? As gnarly as it is and as dangerous as it is, there's just something about supercross and motocross racing that is extraordinary. It draws you in and it's captivating and there are so many personalities and so much talent, especially in these days. People are doing things on a motorcycle and constantly progressing the sport. Just with the fan part of it, I can't get enough. I really can't.

“I’ve never lost the hunger to do it,” he adds. “Even through some of my lower moments in my career and when things got difficult, through all of it I'm still sitting here today and I still love what I do. I still love the sport in and of itself. And I think that is an incredibly special and valuable thing that I've been blessed. I’ve been blessed with this love for this sport and the people and everything. It's the same me through the tough times in my career. It’s something I've always had. It's always been with me and I'm not quite sure you know where it comes from. It wasn't a family thing for me, really. It's really just a love story start to finish and I hope to you know, be around the sport as long as I can and as long as it'll have me.”

So just how does AC about the twelfth and eighth place finishes he strung together at the season opening Anaheim 1 and San Francisco rounds, respectively?

“So far I feel very relaxed with the season,” explained Cianciarulo who has been with Kawasaki since 2006. “I’m having more fun than I ever have. I had a race at Anaheim 1 this year and one where I really wasn't stoked on my riding and results. It was kind of a struggle on my end there all day. But you know, I’m still finding the joy in those things and in those moments. And yeah, it's obviously an incredibly talented field. You look to your left look to your right and there's a lot of really good guys and I'm fortunate to be out there battling and racing with them. And you know, the biggest thing for me now is I look at racing as a as an opportunity, you know? Each round, each race, each lap is an opportunity for me to go out there and perform. I think in the past I was just trying to put so much pressure on myself. If you do that, you can kind of start to lose that joy. Yeah. I have that joy back more than I ever have. And it just makes all the work during the weekend and all the stress we go through on the weekend so much easier to deal with. I’m in a good place and enjoying it so far. We are two rounds down with a lot of rounds to go and we're just gonna do our best every weekend.”