POLICE are hunting a man after he knocked a woman off her bike in York and threatened to punch her.

Officers say the woman was verbally assaulted by the man on a city cycle path.

The 38-year-old victim, who works at York St John University, said: "It was terrifying. If there hadn't been anyone else around, I really think he would have thumped me.

"What if it had been a child, or an older person?

"He had his fist up and was threatening me and I was just in a heap on the floor."

The victim, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisal, said she had been cycling home from work along the path between Lendal Bridge and Clifton Bridge with a colleague when the man came past on his bike, knocking her to the ground.

"We were cycling in single file because there was a pedestrian in front of us.

"The next minute I was in a heap on the floor. I didn't know what had hit me. I was in a heap and there was blood coming from somewhere. At first I thought he was going to help me up and apologise for knocking me off my bike.

"But he was really angry and aggressive. He started swearing and shouting but my colleague and the man who had been walking in front of us told him I had done nothing wrong."

The woman suffered a slightly dislocated shoulder, whiplash and severe bruising to her legs and hips.

She said the pedestrian had to intervene twice to stop the man from punching her.

But as she grabbed her mobile phone from her pocket to call the police, she took the snap of her attacker.

She said: "I told him I had deleted it but I hadn't."

"I'm really nervous now," she added.

"I'd sooner face the traffic or get off and walk than use the cycle path now. The whole incident has just really shaken me."

The incident happened at about 5.45pm on November 2.

PC Andy Chapman, of York Police, said: "This man was very, very aggressive towards the lady. He made two lunges towards her.

"If somebody knows him than they will be able to identify him from this photograph."

He said anyone who recognised the man in the picture or had any information about the incident should phone him on 0845 60 60 247.