If I were you I'd do the following...

a) get rid of that freakin' seat post! On a long ride, you really want your post and seat height to be fixed... Maybe you can find a Carbon Fiber post that will fit a Giant bike... Shouldn't be that difficult, Giant makes compact frames with long carbon seat posts. (I am not the expert in this regard)

b) get rid of the pedals... Get some Crank Brothers Candy C's, and a decent pair of shoes and learn how to ride with them... It will enhance the riding experience fer sure!

c) ask some knowledgeable bike guy to help you set up the bike... seat height, seat fore-and-aft position, handle bar height, etc... Trust me, you will trash your knees if the bike ain't right.

d) be able to mount the tires best suited for the ride... I recommend Continental Gatorskins. Pump them up to 100 lbs, and you will smoke all the other Cypress DX machines out there!

e) change that torture chamber of a saddle... Get used to riding with funny-looking bike shorts and a real 'firm' saddle... I recommend Terry Fly, Sella San Marco, or some other good/reputable brand (Sella Italia, etc...)

Finally, make sure you check all bolts, nuts and screws for tightness... ASK your bike guy which to check yourself... Some (trust me on this) you do not want to screw around with (no pun is intended)...

BTW... Your bike is the first one I ever purchased three years ago... I'm on my 4th bike (a LeMond Zurich), and still have my 3rd, a Fuji Marseille... I am now a dedicated roadie, and I hope you are lucky enough to get the same bug!

Seeya!