If you are on the lighter side, try picking some climbing races. Eric runs Zwift Insider in his spare time when he isn't on the bike or managing various business interests. I was wondering is it possible to get the graph at the bottom of the screen that shows youre power and other stuff on a normal ride and not doing a FTP test or workout. Why try to force IRL parameters that can not be enforced. Hes asking for a fair race. But I will, and Ill get hammered and hopefully improve. His 150 or 160 is not comparable at all to what mine would be, I have been Zwifting for a couple of years now I can honestly say I am completely addicted to Zwift. The issues with e-racing remain the same, and largely ignored for years now. Goodness. it's a good training tool. Honest mistake on my part and one I wont make again, so fair enough to be filtered outRead more , Related (and apologies if the answer is obvious but Ive only done one Zwift race), really what is the point of the categories? Then everyone would know who is legit or at least somewhat legit. Same reason there are categories and age group races outdoors! Current category system simply allows very fast but heavy riders to race in categories lower than their actual abilities. also interesting about this equation are the: wattage data points and the zwift computations of W/Kg. Now I know it is a thing. MyRead more . Garmin sets your zones based on your maximum heart rate, while Zwift defines it as 76 to 90 percent of your Functional Threshold Power (FTP), which is the highest power you can sustain for 20 . What anyone wants in any game or competition is to feel its fair, and as they look to make changes going forward, I hope people at Zwift always keep asking themselves this question: How can Zwifters see these races are fair?. I may try and snag a couple of cat C golds before taking the break, but definitely wont be reverse weight doping to do so the upgrade to B will be a bigger prize than any gold medal. If they keep riders from competing in categories below their ranking, it will reduce the number of sandbaggers and cruisers. I dont think so. I think it would be best if there was a separate cat system for flat routes (based on watts) and for hilly routes (based on w/kg), My understanding is that Zwift still applies real world physics to this situation, and maybe the article doesnt allude to it, in that on the flat Zwift wont use w/kg to drive speed but your pure watts. Other planned changes communicated last week, including plans to improve the reporting features in Zwift will be rolled out as planned. On one occasion I entered a flat race (Laguardia Loop) following my ZP category (class C), finished almost three minutes down (though since it was a small field I still got third place), and then was disqualified for averaging 3.6 w/kg and 206 watts. Certainly it impacts the accuracy of race performance and results. Sandbagging is pointless if winning means youre going to move up (unless you want to take 3 months off after your win. I said if its not done during a competitive Zwift event, its not a problem. I would include chasing Strava Zwift KOMs as a competitive event (but I could see how what I said could be interpreted otherwise. Generally weigh myself once a month. This site contains affiliate links to Amazon, Wahoo, and other brands. Now head back to ZwiftPower, click 'Connect' at the top of the page, then enter your Zwift ID in the box when prompted. The license would be needed to participate in ranked races, however if you dont have a license, other races would be available to participate in. It impacts the Group Rides and as you said the performance statistics individually. So what! This is especially true if you are trying to ride with riders you possibly know locally or otherwise. Im not heavy (68kg), have a typical climber/TT phenotype (no short sprint but good FTP). Prior to joining the team, he had written for most major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly, Rouleur, and CyclingTips. Im more concerned about the guy who finished 5th with 144bpm. Since strava is all that matters of course. I put my real weight 95% of the time. It all has to do with the way Zwifts racing categories work. That was my first thought when a fellow Zwifter commented on my recent race, Somehow you always get your w/kg down. I suffer from excess sweating and will easily lose 10kg in a race on Four Horseman, for example (although Im certainly not the norm, but to say no one is untrue). Adjusting Difficulty Before Your Workout. If it is.. someone must be able to point me to the rule where it says that it is forbidden..? What if you are super committed and gain the weight in real life just so you can stay in the category , Excellent posts on perhaps the most serious non-hardware problem in Zwift right now. Makes me happy to see that the community is able to speak with one voice if necessary. IRead more , Aaron, do you know what is the wattage requirement for Cat A? points based), riders can win by any margin any number of times and remain in their category so long as they do not exceed category limits. My 3 race FTP is at 4.07w/kg (248w @ 61kg), but Im still in Cat B. You can record your weight n height n have it verified by experts etc up to five minutes before an event. Noob question though, whats the etiquette around weighing with kit on or off. Thank you for signing up to The Pick. And one cheater leads to another and its an arms race of gaming the game. A good rule we follow is to take our FTP divide it by 3 and then put that in as our weight (in Kilograms). Im about to end up in the same situation (last races at 3.99, 3.98 and 3.99 W/kg) and Im not really worried about being promoted to A. The categories are power to weight divisions. Introducing a horrible measure that addresses a problem that doesnt exist, and subsequently retracting it following mass protest is not exactly what I would call revolutionary change. But since there are no clear rules on it at this time, its a bit of a self-policing thing with a fair amount of grey area. But your point is correct, if someone has a good string of results, upg them regardless of cat limits, and zwift needs to lock them out of cat in-game for it to be effective. Theres a bit of a fuss on the ZP forums at the moment about this form of sandbagging where people deliberately ride within the w/kg limits but are riding well below their potential ability. Hi, very impressive w/kg at 65. People with eating disorders, or a proclivity toward extreme dieting. I am racing in the Cs finishing in the 40-50s but there are 30 + racers ahead of me posting watt/kilo of A, and strong B racers. 2022 Race Like A Pro. Im curious to see this summer if I can do the numbers outdoors as I push out on Zwift but I cant even think of a road to use for 30 mins without stop signs, pot holes, lots of traffic, etc. What you see a lot are riders who are (claiming) to be really light with decent but not exceptional watts. Either these racers need to calibrate the trainer or they are sandbagging big time. You must be a much better person than me, because thats something I will Never make peace with. It's a bit more complicated than most website sign-ups, but now you'll be all ready to get started. As soon as I start pedaling Im pretty much into threshold (around 170bpm). Their hr should also correspond, which they often dont. If the categories are split using purely w/kg a lighter rider doesnt have any advantage up the climbs at all. That gives me more hope for the future of the platform than any announcement from Zwift ever could. No race Chester worth their salt pops in and changed weight ahead of a race, what they do is post the wrong weight and leave it there. Someone with my FTP should be CAT B, regardless of weight. In spectacular and shocking fashion. There is no cat C rider at 58kg who has a hope in hell of beating me in any race. I never reverse weight doped. Living at 5,900 ft. adds a performance restriction on me, I get it. I have heard women admit on social rides that their zwift weight is their goal weightRead more . I have no idea. Why can we just all race together and the fastest person wins? You could attend races where all categories go together (same start, all riders visible) for a while if you find that to be more fun It would be easy to deny it was intentional. Two months ago he had a magic weight loss on zwift. My power to weight is decent at about 4w/kg. Im not sure Id say the algorithms help heavier riders in descents. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Im not too concerned about weight doping really. Kudos to Zwift for listening to their customers and admitting they made a mistake. Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts. Yes us heavier riders have the downhill advantage definitely. Mike, Great article as ever Eric. Id say physics does! That is pretty low compared to most people on zwiftpower. 2. It does the job as described. See https://zwiftinsider.com/how-does-zwift-calculate-my-speed/, I think if a racer doesnt want to cat up in order to keep winning in their current cat, she or he would likely just go the traditional sandbagging route (as others have suggested here). As far as my weight goes the only thing I care about is being as accurate as I can to get accurate results. Good question. Someone sandbagging will get promoted out of category and will not be allowed to reg for lower categories. You have lowered your weight and skewed your power graph so it is inaccurate. My best race results as a Zwift B are on flatter routes, and I find my watts per kilo are consistently lower than most of the riders around me. Problem solved! This community-driven site is maintained by Eric Schlange and a team of Zwift enthusiasts. Great article, Eric. Fluctuations of a few percent would be tolerated and percent change would be displayed on ZP. Zwift now allows for hiding Zwift automatically connects If you don't own power meter pedals, Zwift's non-contract pricing for a Zwift cycling membership is $15 . When you're in the game, click "Menu". Hardly true Say you train and commit yourself to being honest to achieve better fitness,and also better results, albeit virtually..then someone finishes better than you solely because of the BS numbers they entered. Eric runs Zwift Insider in his spare time when he isn't on the bike or managing various business interests. (Example: if your FTP is 300 watts and you weigh 75kg, your FTP w/kg would be 300/75, or 4 w/kg.). I don't think you can do it from the game itself. Everyone races at the same weight/height. Nailed it. I used to live next to the Alpe and later, next to the Ventoux. The rule set for the categories is so simple yet Id bet >99% dont understand it, to my knowledge cyclingRead more . As Ive posted elsewhere, I like having weight available at my fingertips so I can use it to plan the TTT rotation (I like going heavy/light/heavy/light to avoid the big guys pulling away on flats/descents or the little guys pulling away on climbs, plus one category of rider tends to get exhausted on any given route if I plan my pull times incorrectly, so its nice not having 2 people in a row suddenly need to skip a pull). Im new to Zwift and its racing and what I like notice is how well I do compared to theRead more , This is not just about cheating. Take one of our four FTP tests to determine your FTP. (and dont do organized rides for fairness) so I dont have resistance changes and sometimes zwift reports extraordinary power readings for a ride. Yes, smaller riders have less frontal area, but the difference in CdA isnt that much. BA1 1UA. We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices. I do find it amazing, funny and sad that IRL at several Ironman events me, a C rider, beat many A riders in the cycling segment. Race them if you want, but Rides like Tour de Zwift are not based on rider category, they are based on distance. More of an issue than thisRead more . If you've already created an accountcheck out the s. Enforce race category entry and youll fix much of the problems with Zwift racing. 240W 50kg riders (4.8W/kg) beat 380W 95kg riders in B category Tempus Fugit time trials. If someone on zwift holds an avg power at a given heart rate, then goes out on the road and holds that same heart rate but cannot sustain even close to that power, I am sorry, but that isnt physiology; that is hardware. In fact, you can change a workout on Zwift about as fast as you can U-turn a bicycle on a real hill. Keep writing this sort of thing. Whatever your answer, some people will never like it, but there has to be a clear, credible answer for the majority to support. Cyclingnews is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The best solution would be for Zwift to actively monitor all racing for people cheating. . How come I get beat in sprints when a 60kg guy puts out 700W, when I put out over 1000W at 76kg? Some people are clearly living in a fantasy on zwift. My guess is that another reason some do it, is because it gives you points on zwiftpower, becauseRead more . (a is tough and im struggling at max h/r for most of the race).Ive gone from 87kgs to 80 kgs in this time and feel fitter than ever. The only trouble is the downhill doesnt take as long of course, so the light advantage is obviously better. Because narcissistic people want to get validation from somewhere/someone that theyre special/different and if they cant get it legitimately theyll lie, cheat, and steal to do so. Its funny, I was talking to one of my work colleagues who also Zwifts about AdZ and how because Im heavier (125kg / 276lbs) I would never be a sub 60m AdZ rider (I reckon Im looking at sub 2 hours, if lucky), Ive never once considered weight doping, sure I know I could but why would I? I am 42 years-old with a HRmax of ~169 bpm. Well, its adding weight to gain an advantage. Next up is the most finicky part of the process finding your Zwift ID in order to connect your accounts. Put simply, ZwiftPower is a community-driven website that complements the Zwift app. What is that!?! If so, that makes sense to me and I can absolutely see the point of that. Riders weight will rise and fall but under normal circumstances within a range. How does it work? The default position is midway between "Off" and "Max," or 50 percent of the grade resistance you'd find while riding the same grade of hill in the real world. I hopeRead more . Or weight bonuses for completing events that last for a set amount of days or even hours. heavy riders have an advantage on flat courses.. https://zwiftinsider.com/wkg-tests/ plus 60-70kg is perferctly normal body weight for adult cyclists, nothing worth complaining about. Zwift excessively rewards the athlete for being light and small. Light guys have the advantage on the hills, in the sprints, and because they have a higher w/kg, the flats too even if my absolute watts are significantly higher. I agree WTRL ZRL races dont feel like they have cheaters. I am in the 5 percentile of height and weight at 52 and 130lb with my lowest weight of 118 lbs in my racing career. That a cat rider may win a d race but on zwiftpower they will be DQd for not riding an A race. In a race not in Zwift it is very easy for people to recongize who I am. Plus imagine how bigRead more . Youd think theyd be the same but when Zwift and Strava dont even agree on stats for the same ride, Ill take any other comparisons with a big pinch of salt. I think theres another more interesting angle than just trying to stay down a category. Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts. Using your Mac or PC, you can do it online on the Zwift website. Im surprised that (off wheel) smart trainers dont have the ability to weigh the rider when they get on the bike. I would suggest a free (for now) virtual race license that would outline racer behavior with consequences. Not true, at least not absolutely. Do some races have split out start times so you are only racing with those of similar ability? Gain a few (virtual) pounds. Or theyll ignore leaders instructions and ride off the front of a group (flyers). The guy who got first weighs 106kg on strava but 45kg and only 411 on zwift. My IRL time and my Zwift time are almost the same. Weight doping is only a serious issue when its done in competition. It just makes a mockery of the whole system. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Its also why the Zwift Transparency Facebook group was created, where racers post videos of themselves weighing in using a particular protocol which makes it difficult to fake your numbers. Tough to recover after attacks in a race when youre always near maxing out. (I dont recommend this approach, but it proves the point that weight doping is an issue that concerns many Zwift racers. The easiest way to qualify for a higher category is to cut weight. They are not, and never were, skill classes of any kind (ie. Its a huge problem. are clay hart and sally flynn still married; composite chart 12th house; tupperware party points; st francis of assisi school jobs I think he is referring to the 2021 Haute Route GC (or lack thereof), Sorry, thats right, it was the Haute Route 2021 events. Once I hit 185 its either sit up and catch my breath of fall of the bike. Im using a quarq crank power meter on my rock and roll while I save up for direct drive. We like this move from Zwift. Racing the As resp. Ive done multiple races where my main goal was to keep the watts as low as possible while hanging with the front group. This is done by separating riders based on their FTP (functional threshold power) a wattage test you can take part in on Zwift over a 20-minute, 45-minute or 1-hour period. But youre training and racing and getting stronger, and eventually your FTP improves to 260 watts, which is 3.25 w/kg. Have you considered drinking during a race? 5x5min, 4x8min but definitely never longer than 8 minutes. Great drafting skills!, Heres the thing: I probably am a fairly efficient racer, when I want to be. If other people want to obsess about my weight thats up to them but I wont. Thats the reason why a results category would be more interesting like Erics suggested in his topic. Todd_S (Todd S) March 12, 2015, 3:09am #4 I'm new to the app. look at the article. Though our intent is to protect potentially vulnerable users by removing labels that can trigger unhealthy behaviours, we also hear the concerns of the racing community. Too heavy watts are up but watts per kilo goes down. If I get down to 52 kilos I can climb well but my sprinting is terrible. A thank you to Zwift HQ for listening to the feedback from the racing community and taking action. Its going to take a certain amount of calories for a certain person to perform a given amount of work in a given time. why because of weight, not power. Zwift posted a follow-up message on the forum, Zwift x UCI To Host Cycling Events for the Olympic Esports Series 2023, Race London ZRacing March Series Details, Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of March 4-5. there's a million and 1 reasons why it is not a legitimate sport. either a) ur starting ur sprint way too late or b) ur leading him out. A good portion of that weight difference is in the Hub's 10.3 . Even some of the regulated weight rides will give 2kg leeway. ), So what is reverse weight doping? It must be very hard to do with many, many lines of code to implement otherwise it wouldve been done by now, In reality these changes would not (will not) impact cheating. I tried racing a D race, and finished way off the front behind about 2/3 of riders after Id ridden at 2.9W/kg for the race. Updating Your Privacy Settings in Zwift Companion To update your default privacy settings, sign in to the Zwift Companion (ZC) app on your iOS or Andro. ThatRead more . Maybe they should display and categorise HR as a %age? Launch Zwift and go to the Menu. . I think the Zwift algorithm is quite relevant because it implies a good workout in any race for any kind of rider (and thats what we are looking for). As an ambitioned A Racer with no smart scale, I stick to the higher end of the spectrum when setting my Zwift weight once a week. I have just accepted that at my height I will always be heavier than the average cyclist. I dont mind the low HRs but the low power and high w/kg really irk me! I dont really race so I am OK and any workouts are harder this way. I may of course be wrong, and these are all true weights, but Id be very surprised if that were the case, in the races where this matters, riders have to submit a private youtube weigh-in video <2 hrs before the race. First up, you'll have to head to Zwift.com and log in, then click on Settings > Profile > Connections and choose 'opt-in' under the ZwiftPower logo. Heres an idea: Take weigh out of the equation. However, insecure Freds jumpingRead more , I am new to Zwift, but I do wonder how it is youll see a bunch of people finish at the front of a D race at 4-5 W/kg. Now you'll have to head over to ZwiftPower.com and register there. Hopefully when it comes time to hide height and weight from public view on ZwiftPower, Zwift will have some really useful tools in place which help race organizers do their jobs more quickly and effectively, while promoting wellness in the racing community.