Heart-stopping moment a cyclist narrowly escapes being crushed by a tree

The cyclist ducks his head as he narrowly misses the tree which thumps onto the road behind his wheel. Photo / Still

This is the heart-stopping moment a cyclist is almost crushed to death by a falling tree as bungling workmen chop it down on a busy road.

Footage captured the nail-biting scene as tree surgeons use a chainsaw to bring down the huge trunk on Adelaide Road in South London.

Cars, cyclists and pedestrians can be seen moving along the street as the tree is being chopped down, reports Daily Mail.

Despite being supported by rope, the tree suddenly falls and heads straight into the middle of the road.

A passing cyclist can be seen zooming into view and heads straight into the path of the rogue tree.

A shout of warning can be heard from one of the workers as the cyclist passes under the huge toppling trunk.

The cyclist ducks his head and narrowly misses the tree by a few metres which falls with a loud thump onto the tarmac.

The dazed cyclist looks shocked as he turns back to look at what he had just narrowly escaped from crashing on top of him.

The footage was posted on Facebook and has already gained half a million views.

One user wrote: "Can't believe they were still letting cars and pedestrians pass."

Another wrote: "This is exactly the reason cyclists should wear helmets!"

One user wrote: "That cyclist needs to buy a lottery ticket!"