ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – It’s a lot to drive across the country, but biking from coast to coast, that takes a whole different level of effort.

It took one Albuquerque man three years to accomplish that. But it’s not his recent journey he’s speaking out about, he wants to shed light on the conditions of local streets.

Jon Feist says he’s been biking for the last 40 years, and he knows the road like the back of his hand. He says he wants to warn drivers when it comes to cyclists and their safety.

“Well, when I was like 20 years old, I told a bunch of friends and family, ‘One day I’m going to ride my bike to California.’ And in a couple of years, in 2020, I said ‘I’m getting old, I better do it,’” said Feist. 

Feist says that bike ride to California quickly grew into a ride across the United States. It took him three years, and he finally finished in October. But his journey’s not quite over, something bugged him along the way in Albuquerque.  

“The biggest problem with Albuquerque is the roads or lanes that just end when you’re in the middle of your ride. And then you’re like, ‘Now I’ve got to go on a busy street,’” Feist said. 

He says while the city has a good bike route system, there are several things that can pose a big danger to anyone on a bike.

“There’s a lot of cars, a lot of drivers out there that even though it’s a two lane road, and there’s no one on the left-hand side of them, they will not scoot over, they’ll try to share the lane with you,” said Feist. 

Feist says it’s scary how close drivers get to cyclists.

“Cars need to be aware that, even if they think they can fit, they are closer than what they really are. I mean there’s, I feel like I can sometimes touch the car, just like my handle bars like they are right there,” Feist said. 

Those issues don’t include all the potholes and cracks on the road he encounters.

“In a lot of cases, which we all know in Albuquerque, there’s potholes, there’s cracks in the street. When you’re riding your bike, and you’re real close by the curb, because I ride close to the right-hand side, and the car is sharing the lane with you, it only takes a second for you to hit a pothole and then the cars going to hit you,” said Feist. 

KOB 4 reached out to the city about the potholes, they say if you see one, you can call 311, and they will fill them up within 24 hours.