By Saul Cooke-Black

WELL-KNOWN county councillor Lesley Williams is a born-again cyclist after completing a 100 mile ride in one day.

When Mrs Williams decided to set herself the ride as a personal challenge last August, she had not used her bike for years.

Now the county councillor for Stonehouse, who turned 70 yesterday, is planning to cycle to Shire Hall, and has another challenge in the pipeline, this time in Scotland.

“I have had a Carlton frame for a number of years and so when I decided to take on this challenge I took it to Cytek to get it built up,” said Lesley, who is leader of the Labour group on Gloucestershire County Council.

“Then I started cycling with Stonehouse Wheelers.

“I didn’t do nearly as much as I should have until after the May election.

“Finding the time is a challenge, especially when it is dark early in the evenings.”

She completed the challenging cycle which took her from Stonehouse to the Forest of Dean, Cheltenham, Gloucester, and into Worcestershire.

The route included canal paths, cycle tracks, and road cycling.

“We must have been averaging about 11 miles per hour,” Mrs Williams said.

“There comes a point when you just want to stop pedalling, but I never thought of giving up.

“We stopped and had a drink or had something to eat and then set off again.”

Mrs Williams is planning to continue with her new hobby and says she may now cycle to the county council offices in Gloucester.

She is already lining up a cycling marathon across Scotland as her next personal challenge.

“It went really well,” she added.

“I would also like to thank Shane of Cytek in Cainscross who built up the bike, the Stonehouse Wheelers, and the supporter who rode with me.

“I am sure he would have liked to have been riding a bit quicker. “I cannot thank them all enough for the amazing support and encouragement.”