I haven't read through the whole thread so appologies if this has already been stated.

As people have already said. You want a road bike. However these come in two forms (generally speaking), Race and Touring. The differences are down to the geometry of the frame. Race will have straighter forks, and steeper head set/down tube geometry. For Race bikes the geometry is usually around 74 deg with 1" or less rake on the front forks. Touring bikes will be 72 deg with 1.5" + rake on the front forks. This means Touring bikes don't feel so stiff and will soak up more bumps than a Race bike. It also means that Race bikes are more power efficient and sharper steering than Trouring bike. Obviously you want a Race bike not a Touring one.

GTM