Beginner bike choice between Defy and TCR.

Hi all.

New to road riding and after what feels like a million hours of looking through every bike on the planet and reading all sorts of different reviews the information has finally become too much for me to keep on top of!

Im a keen mountain biker and have recently purchased an enduro bike and love spending as much time as possible out on it.

However… I do not love the hour+ drive to get to somewhere decent on it every time I want to get out and after speaking to a few people, a road bike seems the best solution to keep me fit and also get out more on the bike.

I have narrowed it down to the latest Defy Advanced and TCR Advanced from Giant and am struggling to choose one.

I am in no rush to run out and grab one right now as the cycle to work scheme in work will be back around in a few months and I will top up the extra money on top of that.

I am thinking of buying one road bike to last a long time. I have settled on the idea of disk brakes and I would prefer a carbon frame. Basically I want to spend a decent ammount (upto £2000) and get something that wont need upgrading any time soon.

Is the TCR too hardcore for a beginner/ is the Defy too soft once you really get into it. I wont be entering any races but I can almost guarentee I will end up trying to compete with my friends who ride road bikes and already am getting sucked into strava even on the mountain bike!

What would your recommendations be on either of these bikes for a beginner? The main use is for fitness and fun. I will be riding with experienced riders at times but also going out alone more often.