The final word? We haven't even started in on Aluminum vs steel vs composite yet

Trek'n please clarify - about to grab your first bike and looking for a race compatable setup Do I have that correct? Cool - I like that!

If so, I'd point to a hard tail just based on ease of maintenance - get a season or so under your belt and you'll have a much better idea of what you want. Any way you do it, if you get into racing, the first bike you buy won't be the one that satisfies you after a season or so.

My $0.02