Velo, you're on the road to becoming a member of the "bold 1%", a phrase I first heard from Portland's own Mia Birk.

I suspect that with time, experience, and confidence, you'll evolve toward simply seeking well paved roads and traffic speed will become a secondary consideration.

On a recent trip to Sarasota, I rode a couple hundred miles, mostly on roads with designated bike lanes. It was a gut check for me since their straight and flat roads allow for traffic regularly going 50-70mph in the dense urban areas...three feet from me! I remember one spot where I had to merge from a bike lane through five lanes (at an interstate interchange) as the road quickly went from 5 lanes to 1 lane...I stuck to the rules, signaled often, and it went well