Adam Cianciarulo on emotional Denver podium: ‘It’s all about what you notice in life’

The Denver Monster Energy Supercross podium was filled with emotional stories and one of the most important of them was the return to the podium for Adam Cianciarulo for the first time since a Motocross race at High Point Raceway in Mount Morris, Pennsylvania in June, 2021.

Cianciarulo’s last Supercross podium came earlier that year in Race 3 of the Houston residency during the COVID-19 pandemic. But he would make only five more starts in the SX season before an injury sidelined him. He returned to race in the outdoor season, but was forced to the sideline again after six rounds to repair an ulnar nerve.

In Denver, Cianciarulo took the lead from Eli Tomac when that rider landed hard in a rhythm second and ruptured his Achilles tendon. He lost the top spot to Chase Sexton three laps later and held onto it until the final trip around the track when Ken Roczen pushed him back one more position. At the end of the race, Roczen joked that he was surprised Cianciarulo didn’t saw his front tire off to keep him at bay. Cianciarulo replied, “me too”.

“I know it’s the end of the season and there are a lot of guys hurt; I do not care.” Cianciarulo said during last week’s post-race news conference. “I want everybody to be healthy, but for me to be back here [on the podium] is a big testament to everyone around me. I’m stubborn.”

Standing on the podium following the race, Cianciarulo unsuccessfully tried to fight back tears. He was slightly more composed in the news conference, but still visibly emotional, partly because of the Tomac injury, but mostly because it finally validated the work he’s put in since climbing onto a 450 bike at the start of 2020.

“It’s been a wild, wild couple of years for me,” Cianciarulo said. “Battling a lot