Paralympic cyclist Bate turns to carpentry after retirement

Paralympic cyclist Steve Bate has swapped the velodrome for the studio after hanging up his bike to return to his furniture-making roots.

The 48-year-old won five Paralympic and nine world medals over his career on the road and in the velodrome and officially retired from elite sport following the 2025 Para Cycling World Championships last month.

It was a dream end to a 12-year long career for the cyclist who completed his arc with individual pursuit B gold alongside pilot Chris Latham in Rio, serenaded by his teammates by an emotional guard of honour.

"It's every athlete’s dream of finishing their career as a world champion and so to pull that off was amazing," he said.

"I was more emotional the morning before we raced with the pressure of trying to put Chris on the top step before I left him to it.

"But it has been a bit mad really. I was just blown away by the team and the send-off, they made it super special.

"You try and do your best for the team and that's really nice when it's reflected in the kind words said. Coming off the track to that guard of honour was just amazing."

Despite retiring from sport, Bate revealed that he hasn't been sitting still in his early retirement, instead returning to his roots as a carpenter.

His first project came in the form of making the awards for the 2025 British Cycling Awards, using spruce boards taken up from the National Cycling Centre velodrome in Manchester in 2019 to form the base, something he believes adds an extra slice of cycling 'magic' to the accolade.

"It was a bit of a surprise to be let loose on the design for the awards," he said.

"I tried to really make something special for the amazing people and volunteers here and so I wanted to make them something they would be proud to display and something that embodies British Cycling.

"They were made on the base of the old velodrome which was very special for me, it’s the heart of British Cycling."

Bate is now turning his attention to making display cases for his former teammates and the public to display their medals and achievements.

Whilst most Paralympians and Olympians keep their successes in a shoebox under their bed, Bate is keen to produce a line of products that can help athletes shown off their accolades in style.

And with the likes of Matt Walls and John Gildea already on the Bate trophy cabinet hype, the double Paralympic champion is excited to see whether his carpentry skills can also become gold medal worthy.

"Over the last year I've been working on making some medal displays for athletes," he said.

"A lot of the medals we win, you don't get a box or anything for so I wanted to start making something for all athletes that let them show them off.

"Most of us just have our medals in a shoebox because there's no where else to put them so I think it's quite nice to give them something bespoke.

"It doesn't have to be for an Olympian or Paralympian either, even if you've done a Parkrun and wanted to display your success, I'll put it on the wall for them."

Could you develop your skills, meet new people and bring huge impact to your local community through volunteering? Get involved with British Cycling volunteering opportunities at https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/volunteering