Against my better judgement I opted for a city ride last night, bit of canal, bit of the back streets and some main ones. Stopped at some lights on a very busy junction in a small town, it’s about 10.30 so pretty busy about. 2 lads in late 20s are walking down and one sees me and comes running over, jumps on my saddle shouting ‘here mate give us a backie to the Vine’!! (lol) He linked his arms around my neck and I could smell cheap aftershave & cigarettes. I said something like’ just get off I’m not going anywhere’ while he was still going ‘come on mate, come on.’ His mate who had been chortling on the pavement came over to get him off, which he did and just to be a friendly soul I said ‘Ok mate have a good night, see ya’ afterall no harm done. So just to be a **** as I went to cycle off he grabbed my saddle so I lurched forward but didn’t move, he then let go & I cycled off.

It occurred to me later that as he unlocked his arms from around my neck I could have just given him a decent shove & he would have been on his arse whilst I made him eat dust from the road, but meh, I’m not generally a violent person so tend to never consider those options at the time.

Sounds like you handled it just right, to me.

Quite often ride by pubs and people point and stare at us often exclaiming “cyclist”, as if we’re from a different planet.

Don’t get it.

You should have introduced your friend, Mr Hyde.

as a non drinker who often drives other drunks it never ceases to amaze me what they think passes as friendly banter/behaviour
They were just being friendly hard as it is to cope with when not pissed.
you done right etc as fight could easily have ensued

I used to do a lot of running at night and regularly came across every kind of moron.

From people shouting abuse and throwing things from cars.
Drunken woman lifting there already tiny skirts and tops flashing everything at me whilst shouting sexually explicit language.

Even had a fella who was arguing with someone across the road run across and try and stick one on my chin for no apparent reason.

This only ever happened at night and always people in their late teens or twenties.

I was out on the road bike a few weeks ago at just after 7 in the morning. It’s usually really quiet, but I could see a few people while going through a housing estate near my house. One was slumped next to a wall and looked barely conscious and was surrounded by a few others. Then another was dancing by the side of the road. Soon as I went passed the dancing one jumped out on to the road to scare me. Gave me a bit of a shock! Pretty sure were on something. Got the adrenaline going if nothing else.