DENVER, July 22 (UPI) -- A Kentucky mountain biker riding in Colorado and stalked by a mountain lion used a comedy line to startle the animal, enabling him to flee.

Mike McCormick told the Rocky Mountain News Tuesday he had been riding for three hours in a park near Golden when a deer darted by.


Seconds later, a mountain lion popped its head out of the tall grass to the side of the trail, he said.

The biker and lion stared at each other, and then the lion crouched down and started creeping toward McCormick.

McCormick hefted his bike over his head and started yelling at the lion but it kept coming.

Backing up the mountain with the lion following, McCormick decided to use a line oft-heard in the Jerry Seinfeld show.

At the top of his lungs, he yelled: "You! You! You want a piece of me?"

Momentarily startled, the cat gave McCormick time to peddle frantically back to his car.