Wright has not ridden to work for several months, but May is National Bicycle Month, this week is National Bicycle Week and Friday was National Bike to Work Day, all good excuses for her to jump-start a bike-to-work routine.

"I'm using this week as an inspiration," Wright, 40 said. "It's good for your health, it's good for the community, it's good for fun and of course, there's the fuel aspect of it -- and for some people every little bit helps.

Art Cundiff has always ridden a bike to his job as manager at Atomic Tattoo on South Florida Avenue in Lakeland, and is involved in raising awareness about cycling in Lakeland.

Together with a couple of friends, he founded R&R Bike Courier, providing free delivery services on bicycles in the downtown Lakeland area, as a way to tout the advantages of cycling.

"There's pretty much no cons to cycling," he said. "Transportation with cars is a little lazy if it's just close by."

He is hopeful that more people will try out cycling to work this week or at least notice the cyclists using the road.

"What would hurt an individual to ride a bike to work or grocery shopping?" Cundiff, 32, said. "Usually once people get used to the experience, they never want to change."

The League of American Bicyclists started Bike to Work Day in 1956 as part of Bike Month to encourage more people to cycle and create more bike-friendly communities across the nation...................