The city isn't the best place to learn how to ride a road bike, it is more in it's element to go out to a quiet (clean/free of gravel) country road and put it through it's paces. Loosen up the pedals so that it doesn't take as much to get your foot in/out (unless you have egg-beaters, which I have never liked).
At the end of the day though, there aren't many spots in Calgary that are great for riding on a road bike in my experiences, the pathways are too congested and the roads are often times in a state of disrepair that a good portion of time is spent dodging potholes. That being said when you wake up early on a Sunday morning and are the only person on a new stretch of road going by at 45 km an hour, those things are quickly forgotten.
I always suggest that for commuters to look into the touring bikes as well, thicker tires, meant to handle a couple panniers on the back to bring clothing and whatnot back and forth, plus it has a less aggressive frame which is often what people are looking for.
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