I still feel uneasy about missing a day largely because of scare stories I've read about how quickly you lose fitness, etc. But I think it's better to risk losing a little fitness than to strain something beyond repair! I think Oscar's right: if you don't feel like riding, just don't.

Pete, I've carried a backpack on my rack many a time, and yes, it's chic indeed! Good idea about the ice, too.

I took a forty-mile ride a few years ago on a blistering hot summer day, and ran out of water. I was starting to get confused, obviously dehydrated--went to a fire station and the firefighters of course gave me water, wanted to give me ice, too, but I was too proud (or confused, or both) to take more than water....

Another time I ran out of water, I just filled my empty bottle from a decorative fountain along one of the boulevards! Not the best idea, but better than risking stroke or something.

Cyclists and walkers learn something pretty quick that motorists are at most vaguely aware of: how hard it is to find water or a restroom in urban America.