I agree wholeheartedly JFT, so few people do stick their heads above the parapet though.
Op this woman obviously saw you as a threat somehow, simply because you were a newcomer and therefore, in her eyes, potentially in a position to challenge her position as “leader” of the group. So she moved swiftly to stamp you down as soon as she could using any ridiculous means possible.
This says far more about her, and her insecurities, than it does about you. I find it helpful to remember that in order to allow someone to hurt you, you have to respect them and their opinion. And you know in your heart of hearts that what she said is utterly ridiculous. And her intentions were obviously malevolent. So why give any credence to (a) someone whose opinions are frankly batshit and (b) someone who thinks it’s acceptable to be rude and unpleasant to someone when they’ve only just met?
If you want to continue attending the group then the way to tackle this is to get the numbers of a few of the women who seem nice who aren’t the “main players”, get talking to them individually over time, and then start meeting up with them individually outside of the group, so you have some allies when you are all together inside the group.
And when this batshit woman challenges you again, because she will, be ready to very politely but calmly stand up to her. You may have to be quite forceful about it in a very contained way but be careful to pause, breathe, stand up very straight, look her in the eye, and do not, whatever you do, lose your composure.
Use “I “ statements such as “I am more than happy to travel without a man in tow thanks, my days of needing a chaperone are long gone” (it doesn’t matter what you say as long as it clearly contradicts her statements).
And when you have said your piece and contradicted her, leave it hanging in the air. Don’t be tempted to fill the silence with more words and continue to hold her gaze. I promise this works every time.