Hi fellow commuters:

I have been invited to participate in a 80km (50mi) ride in September
I'm wondering, what do people find interesting about being in these
types of rides. I see cycling as a way to get from point A to point B.
I'm confused as to why people join these. I know there is a forum
for this but I want to get the point of view of the commuter

cheers

Fellowship, sightseeing, fun, challenge.
While most of my riding is A-->B then B-->A I find it enjoyable to ride in areas I don't normally frequent, meet new people and of course stretch my legs/ test my abilities beyond my standard commute.

Adventure. Try it, you may like it or you may hate it. Either way you have a story to tell later on.

For me, it's the challenge.

I'm currently working my way through two series of long distance rides: The R-12 Award is earned by riding a 200km (or longer) randonneuring event for 12 consecutive months. This can be a challenge for many reasons... The logistics of dedicating a weekend every month when you have job and family obligations, or (as is the case usually) the weather. Some areas it gets gnarly hot in the summer, for me, it's the bitter cold in the winter. Finding a route without snow on it is often a difficulty, and I've ridden many a 200k in the snow, starting before the sun is up and finishing after it's long been dark again.
The other one I'm working on is the Super Randonneur, which is a 200km, 300km, 400km and 600km event all in one year.
For me, riding isn't just about getting from one place to another physically; it's about reaching a new mental level. You learn a lot about yourself by spending 12 hours alone riding in snow and freezing cold rain, or pushing yourself for 24 (or more) straight hours. Few people understand what those keychain sized trinkets of accomplishment we earn really mean to us.

I'm a road cyclist, and also commute. I enjoy doing group rides because I get to meet new people. I also get to challenge myself and compete with other riders. I also like that I'm probably getting faster as a result of doing more ride that push me.

On group ride I do because I love the atmosphere. We'll go ride 35 miles, and during that ride we'll sometimes pick up the pace to see who we can drop. We'll regroup at a stop and ride again. Afterwards we'll sit around, have a few beers, and talk.

Doing an organized event ride is fun because of the number of cyclists on the road. You get to meet people who all have the same goal of riding x amount of miles to the finish.

As others have mentioned, there's a social aspect to cycling where it's simply fun to get out and ride whatever distance with like-minded others.

If you're strictly concerned with just biking from A to B, or B back to A, then I do it for the fitness and endurance, knowing that I can indeed reliably and consistently bike from A to B where the distance between the two place is a hundred miles or more, not just down to the office or the coffee shop and back.

And for what it's worth, a 100-mile ride is called a "century," not a centurion.

Your life must be rather bleak!!

Many people cycle because it is fun in itself.

Many people hike (ie, walk without the utility of getting from A to B) too!

(You really must be confused by runners, dancers, roller bladers, etc.)

While there is no reason you should need to enjoy doing such a thing, it is surprising that you can't imagine why other people could, especially given the overwhelming evidence that people do enjoy such activities.

I love cycling, and commuting is just another way for me to get on the bike. I get a lot of enjoyment out of recreational rides outside of commuting, social or not.

...except that his ride is 50 miles, not 100.

maybe we're discussing a 50-mile criterion ride?

Or maybe everyone has to dress up.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centurion ..
Leading a part of the Roman army, a group about 80 strong ?

That's 6 miles shorter than my commute every day

For me it's all about: challenge, fittness, endurance, seeing places. My longest distance to date is 186km in one day.

For additional what it's worth, I was surprised to find out it's a common error. I recently wrote an article for Bicycle Smile blog (shameless plug) and found Centurian (sic) as an edit on my original title. I think it's just a mistaken logic jump: 100 miles = Century ride; Century rider = Centurion.