Cyclocross - Help preparing for first season

I plan on entering my first cross race this winter. Will I be able to run tires wider than 32mm? Also, where is the best place to find information about upcoming races? Any other advice for someone prepairing for their first season of racing?

Check out the racing subforum. Lots of great info in there. Especially the stickied threads.

Thanks, I have been reading those stickies. :D

The 2010 schedule is up on bamacross.com

They used to have two races in Montgomery area, looks like only one this year, so if you want more racing, you'll have to drive more.

You can run pretty much any bike you want as long as it's not overtly hazardous. Last year they had a tandem team doing the beginner races. It's an awesome series, with participation growing every year. The course at Avondale Park in B'ham is a personal favorite, as well as the Saturday night race in Anniston. The cool thing about the Anniston race is you can double-up with a Sunday race in Georgia.

As far as preparation, ride as much as you can this summer and get good at getting on and off your bike. There's a thread in the racing subforum that covers it.

Thanks for the info. Last time I checked Bamacross it only had last years info. I'm riding or running almost every day with mounts and dismounts once per week right now. For offroad I've mostly been riding grass. I also will be getting in more fire road and single track in the coming weeks.

Psst here's a secret workout to get in shape for cross. Do it once or twice a week.
Warm up
4 x 10min with 2min rest, at highest effort you can sustain throughout all reps
Cool down
Best is to find a circuit that takes about 10min to do. That way you can gauge effort on each rep with a stopwatch. This is considered a cruise interval or sweetspot workout.

Thanks for your help! I also picked up the books by Burney and Mares for additional info.