I don't ride when I'm sick unless it's very minor, the body needs rest so I give it what it needs. As far as work is concern use some common sense. Most jobs are not going to like you missing work for 7 days while you wait for the common cold to dissipate. So go to work. Unless your throwing up, cough like you have a fur ball, or are feverish there is no reason to miss work, just don't ride the bike to work for a week so your body can rest, and don't shake hands with people and keep them washed, take some nasal decongestant pills so you don't sound so bad. I'm not a big fan of nasal decongestant sprays, they can over dry your membranes and cause nose bleeds, and some will actually make your cold last longer due to the dry membranes not getting proper moisture. Also if you start sucking on ColdEz (sp?) lounges at the very first sign of a cold they can shorten the life and severity of the cold, but if you wait more then 24 hours after the first signs don't bother taking them because they won't work.

I haven't had a cold in 7 or 8 years so I'm not an expert on this. I do know the last 2 colds I had I took the ColdEz right away and the colds was done in 4 days instead of the typical 7 and the severity was lower. Unfortunately I can't replay those colds and not take the ColdEz to see if the colds would have been any worse or not without using the stuff, but I kind of lean in the direction it did something just not sure how much.