I have a "performance" hybrid - a Gary Fisher Utopia, which is essentially a Trek 7500FX with a shock on the fork. It's a great bike, but I found that I was frustrated somewhat with the lack of speed compared to a road bike and my hand position on the flat bar became uncomfortable after about an hour or so. I ended up buying a road bike the next summer. I find the drop bars are much more comfortable than a flat bar and I rarely use the drops. Try both the Sirrus and the Sequoia for an extended ride if you can. Frankly, if I owned a bike shop, I'd sell all the hybrids I could because my customers would come back later for a road bike! Anyway, good luck in your search - that's half the fun.

By the way, Prosody, if your hands are getting numb on the flat bars, try making sure that your wrists are straight. I find that when my hands go numb, I've bent my wrists. Straightening out my wrists usually does the trick for my numbness.