It does sound as if what you were dealing with was just a jerk who didn't feel like being passed.

It's rare that I'm ever able to pass anyone on the road, so my experience with this is on multi-use trails. People, for whatever reason, are not always conscious of what's coming up behind them and will very often react with confusion when they hear any kind of noise behind them. You have to give them time to react and then respond. Similar to what Lisa does, I've found that calling out "Bicycle behind you!" in a loud voice when I am still fairly far behind gives them a chance to be startled, look around, and then decide where to go. I can then soft-pedal my way through on whichever side they concede, with a "hello" or "thank you" as I pass. Haven't had an incident since I began this practice.

As for doofii like that guy... I dunno, maybe a stick in his spokes as you go by? (I'm kidding, really! )