Well, being a "mature" woman who got into biking a few years ago, I'll throw in my two cents. I started off mountain biking about five years ago, and bought an entry level bike. After a year, I was disappointed with it, and upgraded to a better bike, but nothing classy--a couple steps above entry level (TREK 6700). It still meets my needs. When I decided to get a road bike, I figured a step above entry level would suit my needs. I'd already had the experience of riding the straight handlebar on the road with the mountain bikes, and know exactly what people mean about the importance of having different positions for the hands. So I bought a true road bike, a Specialized Allez Sport, triple. The various hand positions also allow me to get my back into different positions, which is important for me for longer rides. The seat is about the same height as the handlebars, with the nose tipped slightly down.

I haven't ridden much with groups, but when I rode the mountain bike, even with semi-slicks it was hard to keep up with anybody. With the road bike, I keep up with what appear to be the "average" riders (not racers!) without much difficulty. While your friend might find the hybrid type bike easier to ride, in the long run, she might be happier with a true road bike. TREK has the 1200c and 1500c comfort models, that are road bikes designed more for comfort and have a suspension seatpost and brakes on the tops as well as the hoods. Sometimes I wonder if I'd have liked one of those better.

Good luck to your newbie friend; she's lucky to have someone like you to show her the ropes!