I looked at a ton of bikes yesterday, and am no closer to deciding. The Giant FCR 3 does have eyelets for adding a rack. I rode it again and a hybrid Giant called the Cyprus which had disc brakes and rapid fire shifters.
I didn't go up any major hills, but I'll take your word for it on the climbing ability of the bikes. It sounds silly, but I like the look of the "fitness" bikes much more than the hybrid "Cyprus" bike for example (which was only availabe in an ugly green or brown), but comfort and ridability is what matters. Both bikes felt comfortable and were much easier to pedal than my current mountain bike...