Okay so I recently started cycling and fell in love with it. I'm also new on the forum as this is only my 2nd post so i decide to see how you guys deal with certain things since I'm not as experienced as I'd like to be yet. So i started riding my miyata on the road to go to the grocery store, local shops, basically anywhere close to avoid driving and get in better shape but today i decided to actually get out on the bike strictly for exercise. Now I rode 4.5 miles which I know wouldn't be an accomplishment to some of you cause I've read some of you doing 50- 150 mile rides in a day but for me who started less than a month ago and couldn't get up 1 hill it was a great sign of progress. Now here's the thing, this was the most unpleasant ride I've had since I started. Not only did I have to deal with the usual honking(which I try to ignore) but a bus and a truck pulled in front of me and the exhaust fumes were sickening, 2 cars cut me off and one came dangerously close to hitting me, and a landscaper walked right out into the street in front of me, apparently not hearing any cars decided not to look. I felt like i was playing a game of chicken. Now for my faults, the 4.5+ miles i completed took 25 minutes, not sure how slow that is but i know its no tour de france time. Also I attempted to be nice and stay to the right of the lane but since cars were just buzzing by like i wasn't even there i think it might be safer to stay to the center of the lane and make the cars wait. What do you think ? Is it my slow riding causing problems? Should i get on the sidewalk until i get better at shifting? or do i stay on the street, and ignore the honks and ride the middle of the lane? thanks for the input in advance