The Roads I have Traveled:The Steve Wise Story

Prologue



“The Roads I’ve Traveled”

The life story of Steve Wise







I remember it like yesterday. It was the summer of 1979 at the National Motocross Championship event being held at the famous race track, Red Bud, in Buchanan, Michigan. 40 mechanics, with their bikes and riders were standing in the start holding area waiting for our name to be called.

Being one of the top national caliber riders I was the third one called to the line and I watched, as my mechanic Cliff White pushed my red factory Honda RC 250 into the position I had chosen on the starting gate. As I scanned around looking at the other young men I would be fighting with that day, during the two grueling 45-minute motos (races), I glanced at some of the other factory riders.

There was factory Yamaha’s, Bob Hannah, Kawasaki’s, Jim Weinert, Suzuki’s, Kent Howerton, and my own Honda teammate and friend, Marty Tripes. I noticed some of the privately sponsored riders (privateers) such as John Savitski, Greg Theiss and a plethora of other young men who would love to be in my position riding for a factory team.

As I stood behind my motorcycle on the starting line, Cliff was revving the motor on my RC 250 to warm it up. When the starter turned the time card reading 1 minute to go, before the starting gate would drop, I walked over and mounted my factory Honda.

While Cliff continued to control the throttle, as usual, I put my head down on the handlebars to say a little prayer asking God for His protection, but for some reason today was different, very different. What I distinctly remember about that day from any other, as I put my head down on the cross bar, was saying a different little prayer and even today I remember that prayer. I said, “God, if you will protect me from injury and help me to do good, one day I will write a book and tell people about you.”

Little did I know then, but by the time I would write this book about the God whom I promised, my life would be completely transformed into a man I could have only imagined some 28 years later.

There was always a tug in my heart that said God was real, but as I look back after these many years, I realize this God I was praying to then and asking for His blessing, I didn’t even know. The book you are holding now is the fruition of that promise I made to God that day so many years ago. It is the end result of the roads I’ve traveled on the journey to becoming one with the Lord.



--Lord Bless, Steve Wise