Welcome back!
+1 on the advice above.
I don't think you need any special considerations for a road bike except good wheels and a good fitting (so buy whatever bike motivates you to get out there). Probably need to buy the wheels separately (the stock wheels will be ok for a while). Some bike shops will charge you for a fitting, but it's money well spent. The other thing to think about is a good saddle. The stock saddle will probably be an instrument of torture. Search on the forum here for great advice. There are a handful of saddles that stand out for Clydes.