Thanks for the replies. I went to Atlanta Cycles in Vinings on Saturday and they hooked me up with a Trek Madone
http://atlantacycling.com/itemdetails.cfm?id=8396
I was assured that I got a good buy and the investment in a carbon bike would pay off. So far I took it for a spin in the neighborhood and and can't wait to get into an organized ride of some sort. I live right by the Silver Comet trail and understand that for beginners that is a cool place to get my feet wet before I hit the 'real rides' with more elevations. I will drop by the other forum because I am not interested in finding out more about what organized rides there might be on the weekends for beginners who consider themselves physically fit (Oh boy!).