So, I head out for 30 or so mile ride even though it's quite windy. It's windy, but it's also in the upper 70s. About 10 miles in, I reach down for the water bottle and it's not there. I look down and it sure isn't. "What! I know I filled the bottle," I tell myself. So, when I get close to my house, ridden 18/19 miles by now, I run in, down some water from the bottle and quickly return to the bike, bottle in hand. I was sure thirsty when I got home.

So, have you ever forgotten your water bottle? Obviously, I have.

You are getting so Old.....

Helmet
Gloves
Watch
Camera
Money
Computer

no, i have never left my water bottle, but then again I have not been riding for a full two years yet, give me time.

Yesterday I took a bottle of water in the car, but when I got to where I was going to ride, I discovered the container was too large to fit in the holder on the bike.

I live in the middle of a HUGE metro area. For short rides I deliberately leave without water. After all there's a convenience store almost every mile. But for anything over 20mi I usually remember my water. Not always.

I'm new (since last year) but have not left without water. I'm still doing 5-10 miles but hope to increase this summer.

no, but i forgot my bike once.

Last Oct. I started the Bass Lake double century with two bottles . . . but I'd forgotten to put water in them before I left the motel. There was powdered Perpetuem in one, powdered Gatorade in the other . . . but nothing liquid.

Fortunately, my friend Linda, who I rode the first 80 miles with had remembered to fill her bottles so I just borrowed one of hers until we reached the first checkpoint. Yeah, I felt like an idiot but fortunately nothing tragic.

Rick / OCRR

Not only have I forgotten my water, I once drove two hours to a mountain bike ride only to realize I had forgotten my helmet gloves and shoes! It was really uncomfortable riding my eggbeaters in slippers!

Last year I forgot my water bottle on my commute in to work. I rarely drink on my commute in: I leave before 6 am, and it's only about 15 miles, so I only occasionally feel the need to drink, but that day I reached down to get my bottle and it wasn't there. Fortunately I keep a spare (empty) bottle in my desk drawer (in the summer, the temps on the ride home can be well over 100 deg F).

Oh, and like grampa, I once drove about 50 miles to the start of an organized ride only to find I'd left my shoes at home. No fun riding a tandem with Speedplays in tennis shoes.

I got about 1/4mi away from the house and remembered I didnt fill it. That's a nasty surprise in the making.

Not until tonight right after reading this thread

A bottle of water is only a water bottle if it fits into a water bottle cage.

I forgot my water on a fast club ride on a hot summer day. I got a few miles in, looked down, and...."uh oh." I went a few more miles and realized that I was asking for trouble, so I let the hammerheads go and sheepishly pedaled back to my car.

I forget from time to time. If it's cool, I do without. Especially if I have energy chews to keep my mouth moist. If it's 85 or hotter, I'll go back and get it. I'm riding from my house, so I can always alter my route and loop around so I pass by the house again.

Everyone forgets stuff. I have a "day ride list" that must be 80 items long. A good thing to do is leave spares in the car. When you get a new helmet, shoes, bottle, etc., leave the old stuff in the car. Then you'll have loaners, which is also good.

This all reminds me of my first attempt at a long(ish) bike ride with my wife.

Now, we lived about equidistant from the beach bike path and a bike path that ran parallel to the aqueduct in the desert. For reasons lost in time, I decided that we should ride the acqueduct, not the beach. And it was July.

Water? Nah. No need to carry any of that! We'll be riding right next to an acqueduct.

So we get there, hop on the bikes, and off we go.

Now, anyone with any experience in the Antelope Valley will tell you that the winds always blow from the west in the afternoon. And strong? So strong, the trees in the area are all bowed toward the east. So strong and consistent, there is now a huge wind power generation facility there.

And I knew about the wind. But somehow, its importance escaped me that morning. So off we went, heading ... of course ... east. And boy, as the day went on, we were really tooting along.

It wasn't long before I realized that getting water from the acqueduct was a pipe dream. And when we turned around to head back, we faced a gale of hot, dry wind.

My wife couldn't do it. She stayed while I rode into the tempest back to the car.

My first stop was a liquor store. I bought a six pack of Hansen's soda, and drank it, Conehead style. Yea ... no kidding. And I got one for my wife too, and rescued her from our mini Sahara.

Funny thing, she looked askance at bike ride suggestions from me from that point forward. I wonder why?

I sense that you are the forum philosopher.

Several times but I always take my first drink between the first and second mile ... I turn around and go home every time!

I have my habits/routines. They keep me on track most of the time but a disruption can really mess things up.

I've stopped at a gas station and bought a bottle of water before. I've also had to turn back for other equipment.

I drive to many of my ride locations, and I have forgotten my water in the car a couple of times and noticed about 5 miles in. And a couple of times, I forgot to even bring water in the car, but in those cases, I drive to somewhere and buy a couple of bottles of water.

I did ride with someone who was on her first ride with us, so we only rode about 6 miles round trip, but about 1/2 way back she realized she had left her bottle where we turned around, so the other two of us got her back to her car and used that as an opportunity to extend our ride to retrieve her water bottle since Tim could give it to her the next day.

Usually I carry 3 24 ounce bottles with me because we ride on remote rail trails, and I work up a heck of a thirst when I ride.

I have forgotten it... no water... no ride...

Yes. More than once.

One time a riding buddy of mine forgot his water bottle and it was very instructive. We are about the same age, size, and he's a stronger rider for the first 20 or so miles. Then I catch up with him. He quit doing century rides as he was so wiped out afterwards.

He forget his water bottle. I have two of the same bottles filled with a sports drink mix and give one to him. It's a warm day and we are doing about 50 miles. At almost 20 miles in my water bottle is nearly empty and we stop to refill. My riding buddy's water bottle is only half empty. After another 15 miles, the same thing. Yet another 15 miles and he's only consumed half of what I did. After the last 10 miles, my water bottle is all but empty and his is closer to full! In the same ride, I drank about twice the fluids. I should also mention that my riding buddy is one of those guys who pours sweat. No wonder he's feeling poorly; he's probably dehydrated. I suggest that he weighs himself before and after rides to see if he's loosing too much weight i.e. dehydrated.

On a hot summer day a couple of years ago, I forgot my water. Luckily the group went close to my house in the first 5 miles and I was able to stop off and pick up the bottles.