I ride my bike a lot and one Labor Day it was super hot, I live in the southern US, and my wife wanted ice cream so I said I would ride to get some, it’s like 9pm. Slow cruise to the grocery, no worries until I went past a car on the right. After having the driver repeatedly honk and yell at me from behind me, I gave him the finger. He sped past me, braked hard and then tried to ram me with his car. I avoided being hit only by jumping the curb and riding on the sidewalk. He continued to follow me, screaming from his open window and swerving at me. I pulled into the grocery store parking lot, and he sped in, slammed on the brakes and jumped out of the car. After asking him calmly to back off, he shoved me. I warned him one more time to get back in the car. He pushed me again while advancing on me, so I punched him in the face. He then charged me and I hit him a few more times as he tried to wrestle me to the ground. He fell down, and then got up, nose and eyes bleeding, went to his car while screaming nonsense at me and sped out of the parking lot. I went in the store to get my wife ice cream, the original mission. When I came out there were 2 cops waiting next to my bike, they had apparently watched the entire altercation from inside the store in the AC. I explained what had happened. All they had to offer was “ you should probably ride home another way.” Be careful who you flip off. I don’t advocate violence, but I’m also not going to be shoved around.
A few days later I’m drinking a beer with a friend on my front porch telling him this story and some tree guys come to work in my neighbors yard. No shit, the foreman is the dude and his face is swelled to shit, black eye, the works. He eventually sees me and comes over. To his credit, he apologized, but my buddy was giggling the whole time. Strange days.