It was, and she took it as, a figure of speech meaning just because you can do something legally doesn’t always mean it’s the safest thing to do. And I said in a previous post why I never became a serious cyclist— because of some creepy guy in my teens, nothing to do with cycling in and of itself, which sucks I agree.
Even the Vehicle Code makes the proviso that the cyclist should move to the right and allow cars to pass when more than four cars are waiting and when it is safe to do so. I used to make a practice of waving them around when the time came, just to let the drivers know that I wasn't being deliberately obnoxious.
The point is this: When it is your life on the line, don't go risking it stupidly just because of somebody's sense of urgency. You have the right to be there and should exercise that right intelligently.