Race with or without a team?

[Eden]

Pros of joining a team
mentoring, mentoring, mentoring
no one trusts an unattached rider
can help with the expense - many teams offer some support for race fees and have sponsor deals
many teams offer workshops
training with a group is motivating
racing using team tactics is fun! (and unless you are much stronger than everyone else you will have a harder time going solo)

cons of joining a team
its a commitment....

Honestly I think most if not all people are better off on a team than racing unattached. No- in the lower categories it is not like the TDF. You are not going to get immediately pigeon holed into a role and while team tactics are fun, it takes time for everyone to learn them, so they aren't going to be playing as big a role in your first races as they will later on, but the support of a team is really good to have. You will be at a big disadvantage if you don't have group riding experience before you ever race and worse could be a danger to yourself and everyone else if you are strong and have no group experience. Having a winter of mentoring by experienced racers is the best way to get a good start to racing. I highly recommend joining a team.

How to choose? I'm not sure where you are located, but in this area right about now is when teams are recruiting. We have "meet the team" rides every weekend for a month or so. Riding with a team and meeting the members is a great way to find out if you might be interested in joining. Find the right culture for you - some teams are more relaxed, while others are very regimented. Looking for your local racing association would be good way to start.