Well, Richard has 33% of a good response.
Who cares what Lance rides.
Trek makes very nice bikes with an excellent warrenty (if OP buys news)
Richard neglected to mention which model to buy. This is where I'll step in
The riding the OP described sounds like a great canidate for a Trek 7.3FX. It's hybrid bike combining the speed of a mountain bike with the controls and relative comfort of a mountain bike. It will handle light trails, and by light I mean some rails-to-trails...don't single track it. The beefy fork on the lower models in my opinion is better suited to the riding style OP mention vs the carbon forks on the higher models. They are geared well, able to take racks, look sharp, and priced moderatly well vs the competition. In addition OP can fit some cross tires on it as needed plus it will have better road manners than any mountain bike.
Bau