Pro riders ride whatever they get from the sponsor (unless you are Lance or Ullrich - even then they pretty much are at the mercy of the sponsor). As aluminum (Scandium, or whatever), graphite and titanium are the big marketing buzz now, that is what the pro's ride. These olther materials are all about 1 pound lighter than modern steel frames. And comfort is not that important in a 125 mile race. You are racing to win. If comfort was important than no one would ride the cobblestone races.
I have ridden steel since I got back into riding about six years ago. I tried a couple of aluminum bikes (Specialized Allez and Klein) and was 'shocked' at how uncomfortable the ride was. Only took two rides to convince me that I had made the right choice in my lugged steel frames. I have just purchased a new Scaping. And it is Columbus Nivacron. Good old comfortable steel. Weighs about 2.5 pounds less than my '87 Paramount. I put a carbon fork on same this spring and really can't tell much difference. Save a grand total of 6 oz. when I made the change. Not worth the cost/effort of making the change. But, does look pretty cool.
As mentioned above, corrosion is not a big deal unless you are totally against any bicycle maintenance. To start with, most manufacturers today prime the inside of their better steel frames with corrosion resistant primer. In addition, I always put in FrameSaver. I have not suffered any corrosion. Even if you decide not to do this, there are thousands of steel frames out there that are 20+ years old that are not corroded. Just keep you bike wiped clean (especially if you have riden with salt still on the roads) and wax occasionally. Like you would treat an aluminum bike. And it will remain corrosion free. And, your butt/body will thank you after every ride for having chosen steel.