sstorkel

Hydraulic disc brakes are awesome! I have Magura Marta brakes on my Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Pro and they're the best bicycle braking system I've used.

Unfortunately, you're not going to get hydraulic discs on a road bike. The best you can do are mechanical discs, usually the Avid BB7. I have them on my touring bike and my flat-bar commuter bike. They give more predictable stopping in wet weather, but in terms of feel or braking performance they're not much different from a high-end rim brake.

If you're worried about braking performance, go out an practice braking. Few people practice anything other than turning the pedals over, and it shows.

I were buying a racing bike, I would not worry about disc brakes. You'll get more competitive advantage from being able to run light-weight, aerodynamic road wheels than from disc brakes. Your competition knows this, so that's what they'll be running!

If I were buying a touring bike, I'd want mechanical disc brakes... but the lack of them wouldn't be a deal-killer for me since I rarely ride in the rain. If your favorite touring frame doesn't include disc brakes, you can always swap the front fork for one that includes a disc mount. Prices are reasonable, even if you need to have a frame builder construct a custom fork. Most of your braking power comes from the front brake anyway, so not having a back disc brake doesn't make much of a difference.