I hope you are not presuming to speak for me when you suggest that the responses of hybrid owners are motivated by some pouting resentment of the notion of "moving up" to a road bike.

I am actively looking to purchase a road bike at present, as I want to be able to participate in group rides at one or more local clubs, and work towards being able to carry greater speed over increasingly greater distances.

This does not mean that I consider my 'newbie bike purchase' of a hybrid to be a mistake. The hybrid was the perfect choice for its intended use, and if I could have only one bike it would be a hybrid as I would not want to sacrifice the off-road versatility that it brings to the table.

A road bike is a different tool for a different job - that's all. Of course you can do a 100km group ride on a hybrid - but a road bike is better suited overall to that specific task. Adding a road bike to my existing hybrid bike is not any kind of a sore spot for me. It will simply open up a different range of options for me to enjoy the sport / hobby of cycling. In fact, about the only negative that I can see in joining both the virtual and real road bike community is the obnoxious condescending arrogance of some of its members. Interesting, though, that this phenomeon does not appear to exist withing the hybrid biking community.

Had I bought a road bike "in the first place" I probably would not have become hooked on cycling at all, as what really got me addicted was starting my weekdays with crack-of-dawn woodland trail rides that can be easily accomplished any morning before going into work.