A lot of us who ride road bikes and live in urban areas will drive our bikes out to the country roads to enjoy riding fast - no traffic lights, not many cars, long, uninterrupted stretches where you can really get your speed up. But some of us just plot paths through the urban area and head out into the country on our bikes, especially for club rides that have a set start point in town.

I think the body position question is really a matter of what you prefer. Upright is a slower, more leisurely riding position where you can see things around you. Down in the "drops" of the handlebars on a road bike will make you more aerodynamic but there are plenty of folks who really like that position - my ride partner has tremendous back problems in the more upright position and likes being stretched out over a long top tube and drop handlebars. My back doesn't have any preference but I like being able to see things quicker on my hybrid when I'm commuting and I like being in the drops when I ride long distances on the road over the weekends.

If you visit a bike shop with a big selection (more than one manufacturer represented), you can check out the different styles. It seems more and more that bikes come in all sorts of "frankenstein" varieties, with features that are mixed. Flat bar road bikes, cross bikes, things in between a mountain bike and a hybrid, etc.