So when will you be joining the OCP club?
I recall when my wife had just bought a road bike and a had a mountain bike -- she seemingly dropped me on flat ground without pedaling while I was hammering away...
You might want to check out the Cannondale Synapse -- has a longer headtube than the standard Cannondale geometry so will be slightly more "upright"; also the alloy version is about the same price as the other CDale you mentioned.