1) Decide what you want to do with the bike.
2) Decide your budget
3) Find a good bike shop(s). You will be relying on the people there. Make sure you can work with the people at the shop. Make sure that they are going to really fit you. You will be backto the shop. Again and again and again... (upgrades)
4) Ride a lot of bikes. Nothing will tell you more than riding. Ride bikes that you aren't even really considering. Ride Campy component groups. Ride Shimano component groups. Rude Sora. Ride Dura Ace. Ride 105. Ride compact frames. Ride standard frames. Ride Steel. Ride Al. Ride Carbon. Decide what you like. Can you tell the differences between the groups? Ride the same bike at different bike shops. Were they tuned differently?
5) Re-evaluate your budget.
6) Re-evaluate your choice of bike store.
7) Ride some more.
8) Get the bike fitted for YOU
9) Buy your bike.
10) Ride
Lots of good bikes out there in all price ranges. It's just deciding what is best for you.
I went back and forth a lot trying different bikes. There is no substitute for riding the bike. (Unless you are an expert and just know the exact geometry you are looking for. But, if you were in that situation, would you have posted this message?)
I started out looking in the $1K range. After trying a lot of different bikes, I decided that I would be happier with a little more expensive bike. I blew by the $1K mark, but not to far North.
Bike shop is almost as important as the bike itself. Make sure the shop is going to actually fit the BIKE TO YOU. If they want to fit you to the bike in stock, you will be unhappy no matter how much you have to spend.
What was really helpful to me was riding bikes in the same family (and thus nearly the same geometry) but with different component groups. Going from the Specialized Allez, to the Allez Elite, to the Comp, to the Pro, you can learn a lot about where you are going to really see the difference. Riding the Elite Cr-Mo and Comp Cr-Mo can give you a feel for whether you want an Al or steel bike and whether you will notice the difference.
I started out looking at the Allez Elite (and similar). Ended up getting the Allez Comp Cr-Mo. It just felt smoother to me (at three different bike shops).