1) Geometry: You know I did something similar recently and indeed went with a sport vs touring geometry, but not racing, and am very happy with it. I think unless you plan to carry very heavy loads its fine, and I have no problem with rear rack clearance. But, I am very glad that I went with front AND rear racks. As long as your load is balanced, the sport geometry is fine. I say this also cuz you'll find a true touring geometry sluggish on a fast road ride.

2) Wheel Size: Thats interesting to see your stats. I am even shorter than you, only 5'4" but my inseam is 31.5", so I have a super short torso. Given that your torso is a lot longer than mine, I think 700c wheels should be fine (and that is what you currently use, right?). While it is true that 650 wheels pack better than 700s, here is the problem. 650C wheels, are only available in widths up to 28c (the terry tellus, a nice tire by the way), although there are good options in racing widths like 23c. You could go 650b, but then the skinniest you can go is 34c. So if you want to be able to use tires in the 23c-32c range, you are better off with 700c. That is one of the reasons I used the 700/24" combo on my bike, instead of 2 650s, wanted to use tires from 23-32c wide (which are also available for 24"). You can pack 700c wheels in an s/s case, but you have to deflate them.

3) gears - I built my bike with a 50/34 front and 11/34 rear for a range of 26-119 gear inches. But for loaded touring you may want to go as low as 19". I love the simplicity of my double, but if you are gonna go with a triple, I think you are better off with one of the touring triples (I think sugino makes one, I can ask a friend who just built a custom waterford adventure bike, I think he used one of those) and a road casette than a mountain. I like my set-up, but it is a compromise for simplicity and has bigger gaps between gears but if I were gonna go with a triple, I'd go for a touring triple.

4) racks - I hear Tubus racks are excellent.

5) wheels - "I was told "Nobody builds wheels any more. " That isn't true. I always use human built wheels. Again, I will ask my friend for what he chose for his waterford, I know he put a lot of thought into it.

6) brakes- I would go with cantis. I used the shimano 550s that work good with sti/ergo levers. The problem with long reach side pulls is that you lose mechanical advantage with the long arms, and I think its still hard to fit fenders under them, or get the wheels out without deflation, but I may be wrong on this point.