The irate motorist who punched an American cyclist in a road rage attack in Wellington was driving a rental car.

Inspector Paris Razos said yesterday that police were working with the rental company to track down the motorist, who crash-tackled and then punched 33-year-old tourist Russ Roca on Tuesday.

Mr Roca, 33, and Laura Crawford, 32, of Oregon, were riding their collapsible bikes on a two-lane section of Riddiford St, Newtown, about 4.30pm when a man driving a rented silver sedan passed them "really really close, almost aggressively".

The motorist pulled over and came at the cyclists, running after them and tackling Mr Roca off his bike and punching him in the face.

Police had plenty of information to follow up and wanted to get the incident dealt with quickly so the couple could enjoy the rest of their time in New Zealand, Mr Razos said.

The pair had afternoon tea yesterday with Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown, a keen cyclist who wanted to hear about their experiences on the New Zealand Cycle Trail.

She denounced Tuesday's attack, saying: "Road rage is not acceptable in Wellington, under any circumstance."

Absolutely Positively Wellington marketing general manager Sarah Meikle said the tourism organisation was disappointed to hear of the attack. "We consider it very un-Wellington."

However, city cyclists have responded to the incident by saying riding a bike in Wellington is an intimidating experience.

Peter Abbott, 33, of Kelburn, said he was an experienced cyclist and had learned to be assertive on the road.

"I don't normally have too many problems but every couple of weeks I get a car or bus that objects to me being on the road and is always just verbal or hand gestures.

"I used to get really angry and confrontational against drivers but it is just not worth it and now usually just shrug it off as something that happens because there is no changing some people's attitudes."

Craig McGregor wrote on Twitter that he was "often screamed at – to try and scare me – and have had items thrown at me. Might seem funny to them – until some[one] is hurt."