I could go with option 4. But the down tube shifters are my biggest concern. Having never ridin in a crit, are shifters on the down tube going to hinder me all that much or do you not really shift all that much to even matter?
Is it as nice as an STI, no. Is it going to stop you from getting out of CAT5, no. You're probably going to start by racing the crits in Ontario and/or Dominguez Hills. In either place, shifting is kept to a minimum. You'll probably end up stretching a gear by spinning your legs a little faster here or there where the other guys will shift. No biggie...it's good for you. You should be able to hold a cadence from 60 to 120 rpm without much drama.
I've seen a guy ride the Dominguez crit on a single speed. It hurt him in the sprint, but in CAT5, you shouldn't care a whole bunch about the sprint anyhow. Stick in in the 13 or 14 cog and see what you have in your legs.