DENVER -- Roughly 24,500 people ditched their cars and commuted to and from work by bicycle on Wednesday, breaking previous records for Bike to Work Day, officials said.

"Although participation has risen steadily every year for the annual event, this year's 60 percent growth rate is unprecedented," said Marty Burgess, with the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG), organizer of the regional Bike to Work Day.

Burgess believes that rising gas prices and greater awareness of environmental issues contributed in large part to the spike of cyclists.

Boulder was the first to celebrate Bike to Work Day more than 26 years ago. The Colorado Department of Transportation started promoting Bike to Work Day in 1992. At that time, only about 200 people took part in the Denver area.

In 2007, about 15,500 left their motor vehicles at home and commuted by bike.

Linda Dowlen, DRCOG RideArrangers program manager, said Wednesday's total cyclists actually numbered closer to 30,000, when combining registered participants with additional bicyclists who were surveyed when they visited breakfast stations across the region.

The number of participating companies (1,084), and the number of first-time participating bicyclists (more than 10,100) also increased significantly over last year -- 51 percent and 76 percent, DRCOG said in a news release.

With the high gas prices, commuting by bike can be a healthy way to save money.

If a person biked to work one day a week, they would save, on average, $6.21 a week, $24.85 per month and $298.16 per year. They would also get 96 hours of exercise, and reduce their carbon footprint, according to the Colorado House Majority Communications office.

More than 100 breakfast stations were spread out through downtown Wednesday morning to reward cyclists. Some of the locations also had prizes along with food and refreshments.

For a list of locations visit www.drcog.org.

For help planning a route to work click here.