It’s why I bought a road bike! Sick of having to drive 1.5+ hours for a decent ride so thought I’d just ride what we have locally.
Similar thing. To get to any decent riding is at least 45 minutes each way in a car for me, I do have stuff nearer but I find it boring truth be told! I’ll always gladly go out on the more local stuff in a group ride, but that’s not all that often, these days it’s mainly just me and my GF going off riding together…
Bought a road bike mainly to keep up the fitness, ride it perhaps once or twice a week, from my door, for a couple of hours, as I only ride MTB on Sundays really at the moment (though might change a bit as summers coming). And like many here, have downsized the MTB collection slightly too…