AFTER being intimidated by a man while out cycling, Sandra Meadows decided to set up a women’s riding group.

Two months ago, while cycling in the Colchester area, Sandra came to a crossroads in a country lane. Not sure where it led, she stopped and asked a man for directions.

She said: “He approached me and stood there acting quite strangely. It was enough to make me feel threatened, and that is what kick-started me to set up the group.”

Now Sandra, 55, of High Woods, Colchester, has set up Cycling Sisters, a fortnightly group, which meets on Wednesday mornings for about 90 minutes and sees the group of women cover ten to 20 miles.

“There are already cycling groups in the area, but I couldn’t find anything at an intermediate level,” said Sandra.

“I had a chat with Richard Monk, who promotes cycling in Colchester, and he suggested starting the group.”

The idea is quickly gaining popularity.

“Now I have eight people who have joined up,” said Sandra.

“It’s free and eventually it would be nice to expand and for the women to cycle in their own groups, and maybe separate into different levels.

“When they get to a certain level, I will suggest for them to go to Colchester Roses.

“For now, the route will start off from High Woods and head to places like Great Horkesley. I’m hoping to change the routes regular as time goes on.”

Sandra’s love of cycling stemmed from her father.

“My dad won medals for road racing and was due to do Olympic trials, but was called up to do two years in the Army,” said Sandra.

“He made sure we always had bikes and rode to school. Nowadays, I cycle everywhere and hate being stuck in the car. In the last 20 years I have really got into it.

“My husband Paul and I have a tandem bike and we go out a lot together and covered 700 miles in Holland last year.”

For details, call Sandra on 01206 851571 or e-mail cyclingsisters@hotmail.co.uk