It seems a little silly to me that someone would say a Ti bike is not as good for racing. That's a big generalization.
OK, so the best of the best race bikes happen to be Carbon right now. That doesn't mean every black plastic bike is a good one.
If you get a high quality bike that fits you perfectly and you love the way it rides...Alum, Ti or Carbon are all nice at the high end.

Invest in the best wheelset you can afford. If it's in the budget,Zipp 303 would fill all your needs and be blazing fast for TT, ROAD, CRIT and Distance. Maybe road race with 23mm tires, bumpy crits and Distance rides on 25s.

p.s. make sure all your test rides are on the same size tires at the same pressure.