I will say that the first time I rode my road bike it was quite a shock! I had ridden beater-bikes for years, then got a decent hybrid and soon after upgraded to a road bike. It handled totally differently!

But I think I'm a bit of a cowboy. I said "Heeeha!" and that was it.

Go for it and have fun. Spokewench's suggestion to go somewhere flat and safe to start is great.