AllRacing

As he adjusts to retirement, Cianciarulo is still reaching new heights

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After an 11-year professional career from 2013-2024, it took Adam Cianciarulo a little while to adjust to living a more traditional lifestyle outside the fray of motor racing.

“Yeah, it’s definitely a big adjustment,” admits the 2019 250cc AMA Pro Motocross champion, who spent his entire career with Monster Energy Team Green, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki and the Monster Energy Kawasaki factory team. “I think more than anything is you’re used to living this big life where you’re kind of everything that is happening. It’s easy to kind of get a main character syndrome going when you’re in that spot. I think transitioning into the life that I have now it’s definitely a bit quieter.

“Yeah, it’s a bit of an adjustment at first, but it was honestly one of the things that I looked forward to the most when it was getting close to the end. I was able to live a little bit more quieter and a live a little more selflessly than I was. You just have to be selfish when you’re an athlete. Just trying to pay more attention to the people I care about and the things that I care about.

“The biggest thing I’ve been talking about lately with this adjustment is just how my perception of time has changed. When you’re racing, you’re kind of living to each weekend. You try not to look too far past each and every Saturday. Now and not racing anymore, it’s different. Time goes by faster, I found. I really have enjoyed it. I have a really good quality of life and I kind of just slowly add things in there. I started our podcast, The AC & JB Show, and we’re going to be doing a bit more with that this year. And of course I’ll be doing Race Day Live again for 2026. Pretty busy schedule, especially in the wintertime, but I cannot complain.”

Despite the hectic media schedule these days, Cianciarulo still enjoys climbing back on the bike now and then, such as at the recent Monster Energy Kawasaki photo shoot where he joined the team riders in clicking off laps with the KX450.

“I’ve never not loved enjoying dirt bikes and I’ve never not loved riding dirt bikes. There are times it has been frustrating because you’re not getting the results that you want, but now, anytime I have the chance to ride, especially supercross, I have fun,” he said. “It’s cool. I’m really grateful for Monster Energy and Kawasaki for kind of keeping me around and keeping me a part of it. It’s really helped keep some normalcy during my transition. It was just excellent to be out there with the guys and cutting it up and catching some air. It was a good time.

“You know the last couple years of my career, I really had to put up with a lot of pain when I was riding the bike. Sometimes that can take the fun out of it. I don’t ride regularly. Not because I don’t want to, but right now the priority is just trying to get the body in a good spot.”

Having raced with Kawasaki throughout his racing career, from minicycle right on through to the 450 classification, Cianciarulo has remained heavily involved with the motor company and its global racing efforts.

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“The opportunity to be a brand ambassador with Kawasaki is something that I definitely don’t take for granted,” he said. “I signed with them in 2004 and went through Mitch Payton’s program in the 250 class all the way through the premier class and it seemed kind of like a natural evolution. You always love to work with people that are genuinely passionate about what they do. I think we are all very like-minded people that are always trying to get the best out of each and every day. They’ve been great. I’ve done bike introductions with them, media introductions with them and of course the team shoots. I think we have a few ideas as to so me more things we can do going into 2026 and I’m really looking forward to just expanding in that role. I really want to be valuable to the brand, of course. They have been so supportive of me throughout the years, so I really want to give back to them as much as possible.”

“It’s different because it is not as up and down emotionally,” he noted. “When you’re racing and you’re identity is all tied into that, anybody that is athlete in any sport knows exactly what I’m talking about. You’re just on a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. My life now is just much more, I would say peaceful. It’s pretty even keeled. It’s different adjusting to not chasing something.so obsessively, like I was. That’s just something that takes time. I’m just learning to be grateful for where I’m at and what I have.

“Going from racing directly into broadcasting, it’s really interesting to me see how the riders interact with Justin Brayton and I. There is a level of respect because they know that we’ve been there and we’ve done it so recently. Still, talking to the guys, I don’t want to lose that rider side of me because I think it really helps me in my job now trying to articulate they challenges of trying to win these supercross races. I enjoy it. It’s my community. I’ll always be a rider and be for the riders and I’ve been lucky that the riders have been very receptive of me in this role.”

Cianciarulo reflected back on what his racing career meant to him.

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“I look back and I’m just proud. Proud that I was able to always just really do my best,” he said. “There was a lot of hype on me coming into the pros. There was a lot of expectation. I think I let that linger in my mind for a long time. There were definitely ti mes when I felt like a failure. I felt like I was letting people down because the expectation was so high. From that lens, it’s easy to feel like a failure, but you gain perspective as you get older and learn what really matters.

“There are things in life we can’t control, and we just have to do the best with the things that are in our control. I look back on my career and I felt like I did that. I’m really at peace with what I accomplished and the life it has given me now. This is everything I’ve really wanted. I don’t need 10 Lamborghini cars or a $10 million dollar house. I’m a pretty simple guy. I look around and I’m just kind of in disbelief that this is the life I’ve created for myself. I’m really grateful for all the opportunities that put me in the sport I am in now.”