How do you follow up a spectacular summer of Paralympic success? For Steve Bate, he's taking on his next big challenge: a 770 mile cycle ride down the Carretera Austral in Chile.

Steve is riding alongside Great Britain Cycling Team colleagues Karen Darke and Jaco Van Gass. The team are carrying their own equipment and sleeping under the stars.

Villa Santa Lucia to Puyuhuapi

Our next day on the road is a success and we cover the distance without too much trouble. 60 kilometres is the distance we need to ride if we are to make the destination of Villa O’Higgans which at this point will be dictated to us by the surface of the roads. I know it doesn’t sound very far to cover in a day but when your bike weighs in at 60 kilograms and the terrain has been so poor the miles have been far from easy.

We find ourselves without a suitable place to camp by the roads so we head into a farm to ask if we can stay. The woman kindly agrees to let us sleep in her field and shows us a tap hanging on a fence next to a barn for water. As we set up camp, it’s hard to find any flat ground so we make do with what we have. None of us complain as we think back a few days to camping in the gravel right next to the road.

Caroline and Jaco head back from the tap and say the water probably isn’t drinkable. I was happy to give it a go until they showed me the earwigs having a great time swimming around in the bottle! This meant Jaco and I had to jump on the bikes and ride back to find the last stream we crossed to fill every bottle we had with water. While we did this Caroline and Karen cooked what is now our standard evening meal, Pasta, tuna and tomatoes.

The night is a long one as the birds seem happy to sing us their song for most of the night. However I manage to wake feeling reasonably well rested, Jaco on the other hand is ready to have singing birds for breakfast instead of the porridge actually on offer. My legs feel heavy today for the first time since we started. Our goal today is to make Puyuhuapi, a small village sitting in a beautiful location and will also be where we have our first rest day of the trip. Just what our tired muscles need.  

Expecting the usual diet of gravel we are pleasantly surprised by the fresh tarmac extending to the horizon which is of great relief for tired legs and progress is fast. We chew up the early miles making surprisingly good time before a lunch stop on a soft grassy spot next to a lake surrounded by mountains. It’s perfect and so nice to be away from the regular dusty roadside breaks. After lunch it’s just a short 18 kilometres to Puyuhuapi.

As we roll down the tarmac into the small village it’s 5:30pm. The roads didn’t trouble us too badly as we helped Karen over the hills. It’s great to arrive here knowing we are a day ahead of our plan and can have a full day off to relax and recover from the gravel that shakes us all each day. The village is colourful and is set in a narrow valley and we find a sheltered campsite for £4 per person.

The hot shower is tested by Caroline then by Jaco who confirm that it has two settings; either scolding hot or icy cold. This makes for an interesting shower dance. Karen and I revert to what has got us through thus far and wash with a bowl of heated water. I feel clean once the small pan comes to and end and pull on my evening clothes.

We treat ourselves and eat in a small boarded room in the campsite which has four tables which appears to be the front room of the owner’s house. Everything is basic but practical with no need for fancy things to impress her customers. As I guessed the food does her talking, with a massive slab of fresh fish surrounded by fries and a huge bowl of salad for us to share.

Jaco’s eyes light up when she brings a bottle of ketchup to the table. We all go silent as the food is transfer from plate to stomach with frightening efficiency. We finish off the meal with a herbal tea. It’s surprisingly good and we stroll back to the campsite for a quick nightcap before turning in.