How do you tell if a goose is going to attack you?

Geese can be very aggressive for whatever reason they might feel threatened. Maybe there was a nest nearby, maybe the sound of your bicycle hurt its ears, who knows. Steer clear, goose bites hurt.

In general, with geese or any other species which has or may have aggressive and territorial instincts, or is a predator by nature, you want to look out for agonistic behavior. That’s a term that is worth looking up and learning.

I have had pet geese for decades and this is the height of breeding season. They are very territorial and brave for their size and will go after anything they perceive as a threat.
The body language is lowered neck, snaked out forward and then the charge. haha
Most peoples bad encounters with geese come from being in the parks and areas they are breeding in during spring and early summer.

Breeding season lasts from Feb. to June-ish. Geese are highly intelligent and have excellent memories. If they have been messed with by humans they will, forever after, have it in for you. Best thing to do is let the goose think they are the boss, let them drive you away. Avoid eye contact and do not make any aggressive moves or they WILL nail you. haha

I am going to defer to @Coloma on this one.

@Coloma covered what I have to say.
It could be protecting a nest/mate, or it may have been harmed by someone on a bike.
They mate for life. If it had a mate whick was injured by someone riding, and then it died, it will forever be spiteful about cyclists.
The hiss is a warning. If you get away quick, it will hold its ground and feel the victor. If you stop, show agression, or try to befriend it, you will be attacked.

They arch their necks in a downward position, extend their wings and hiss menacingly as they approach.

Yes, the hiss happens sometimes too but not always. My gander is great at stealth attacks on strangers. He quietly sneaks up and them bam he gooses you and gives you a couple of good wing punches too. His official title for years was “Witness Protection” goose. Kept away the riving bands of jehovahs witnesses. He did a great job. haha

My sister has been spanked two times in her life (excluding sex).

My mom likes to buy in bulk which meant we had years worth of of toiletries in a closet. So mother comes home and my sister who was about 5 at the time had squeezed every tube of toothpaste and sprayed every can of shaving cream all over the bathroom. And then for fun unloaded around 100 rolls of tp on top of the mess. That was the first spanking.

The second one involves me and geese.

We lived on a farm and had a bunch of geese. So we went out to feed them and my sister started hitting a few of them with sticks. She is three years older than I am and when I was five and she was 8 she was a lot faster. The geese were not pleased.

She got away and locked the door while I was viciously attacked trying to open the door. I was hurt bad enough that I had to go to the hospital. That was spanking number two.

^ Flogged by the flock ey? haha

I had a wild swan approach me one day while I was working. Now maybe it had something to do with the white shirt I was wearing but I just don’t know…
So this swan swims over to near where I was working, gets out of the water and comes to within 8 feet of me. (A GEORGEOUS bird!!!) And he starts walking back and forth, strutting, with his wings arched up over his back. At the end of each direction, he stops and gives me the eye before turning around and repeating his march. Now, it is unlawful to bother native bird species, especially swans, so I left the area because I didn’t want to hurt him if he attacked. Neither did I want to hurt him if he charged me and started humping my leg…

@Coloma Maybe it was a she swan and she thought you looked like a good mate. She wanted to hatch your eggs. haha

@kritiper, or worse

They hiss.