I rode a "cheap" mechanical (SRAM Rival) bike in some crits and road races and found, at 54 years old, I'd never be able to CAT up or race with Masters 55+ so I went Time Trial. If I crash there it's more than likely my own fault.
Moral of my story... I wouldn't invest in a lot of fancy bits and ride all kinds of races to see where you may lean towards. Heck, I'd try track if it wasn't 3+ hours to one.