Michael Gordon had one goal Friday morning: To find the bike rack fuller than the parking lot at Allen Press.

Making his commute to work on a recumbent bike, Gordon stopped off at Sunflower Outdoor & Bike Shop, where cyclists were celebrating Bike to Work Day with coffee, doughnuts and fruit — compliments of the store and WellCommons. Friday was part of a monthlong event that encourages people to get out of their cars and onto their bikes for the trip to work.

Gordon’s commute, which started at his house near the Douglas County 4-H Fairgrounds, is about two miles. He rides his bike about once a month. Allen Press has about a half-dozen regular bike commuters.

“I sit at a desk all day and I don’t get to ride recreationally as much as I would like to,” Gordon said. “This is a way to save on gas and get in a little bit of exercise.”

Gordon isn’t the only one who recognizes the personal benefits of biking to work.

“All that stress just melts away when I get on my bike,” said Dan Hughes, owner of Sunflower Bike Shop.

Before breaking his collarbone in a biking accident a few weeks ago, Hughes could count on one hand the number of times he drove his car to work in the past 10 years.

And Friday morning, Hughes didn’t let an arm in a sling stop him from making the ride to work on his bike.

For those thinking about commuting on two wheels instead of four, Hughes advises starting with one or two days a week, mapping out a route that isn’t too strenuous and stashing clothes at work to change into after the commute.

“Start small and expand from there,” Hughes said.