Congrats and welcome !!
Here are a few suggestions:
Have the bike looked at by a pro for any issues…
Practice riding like your life depends on it; because it does.
After you take the course, then your learning really begins.. because you have a baseline from which to build on.
Be careful of those who try to give advice, like now, it might be crap, but to you, a newbie, it might 'sound good'
Read as much as you can on bike road races… their is a lot to be learned from the pros. https://www.facebook.com/sportridermag?cmpid=fbheader The Pace Riding Style - Pace Yourself | Riding Skills Series | Sport Rider