You know, another thing you might do is find a local cycling club that has a "welcome to new riders" ride, these will typically be a relaxed, slower paced, not real long ride - they're trying to lure you in, not scare you off.

I mean, don't meet up with the local race club . . . from the club website you can tell what sort of rides they do, and you can always call the ride leader and ask.

Riding in a group, you can watch what people do, maybe get tips, and there is often safety in numbers.