I can relate my own experience having started 17 years ago on a hybrid, realizing its limitations, then moving to an old touring bike and finally to my current ride, which is a drop bar bike, though certainly not especially light sleek or fast by modern standards. But if I were younger and skinnier, for sure I would go for something lighter and more aggressive.

so, 17 years ago, when I was still in my early 30s, bought a Bianchi hybrid to ride a charity ride with my fiancée. At the time, I had no idea biking would become an on again off again obsession for me, so I just went with the cheapest decent option I could find. The Bianchi was and is a fine bike. And it took me through the charity ride and many rides since. Family rides, used by my niece as a commuter, solo rides, club rides, and currently used by my son for family rides and the occasional organized ride. But when I tried to use it for club rides, it had its limitations. 20 to 30 Miles was certainly doable, but much past that and the upright riding position was somewhat limiting because of the lack of hand positions, upright riding position, and scrunched up feeling in the cockpit, and gearing better suited for mountain biking than road biking. on group rides, the gearing was too low to keep up with the roadies on descents and to a lesser extent, flats. Super low gears for climbing, though.

Though I don't exactly regret the years riding my hybrid, if I knew then what I know now, I should have bit the bullet and gone with a road bike back in the 90s.