A Madison man told police he was able to maintain possession of his bike after a would-be robber threatened to take the bicycle and punched the victim in the face.

The 50-year-old man said he was approached by a group of young men at 3:10 a.m. Saturday at the corner of North Frances Street and University Avenue. One of the men grabbed the victim’s bike and got into a tug-of-war with the victim while punching him in the face multiple times.

The group fled when the man said he was calling police.

The attempted robber is described as black, 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall and wearing a white T-shirt.