Racers who get top 1,2,3 more than a few times get upgraded period. Im using a quarq crank power meter on my rock and roll while I save up for direct drive. As soon as I start pedaling Im pretty much into threshold (around 170bpm). I completely missed these as I reinvented the wheel, trying to stir up the hornets nest on the Zwift forums the other day. I wouldnt personally do it since it throws off training metrics and just isnt true. Obviously, these are generally accepted rules in the Zwift Community. Its more fun and engaging that way, for me at least. Race specific phase: 3x10min 50-60rpm intervals with . If so, that makes sense to me and I can absolutely see the point of that. What you see a lot are riders who are (claiming) to be really light with decent but not exceptional watts. Have you ever compared numbers for calories burned, power output and even elevation ridden for a Zwift ride uploaded to Strava? I agree WTRL ZRL races dont feel like they have cheaters. How does it work? To change your profile to have to log in on the Zwift website and then edit the profile there. Im a heavy rider at 102kgs and 193cm tall I once reverse doped my weight at the top of the radio tower to try and achieve the 100km/HR badge It had the opposite effect in that I was actually slower than when descending at my actual weight lol I dont race other than against myself so Ive never weight doped as such My observations recently however have created an awareness of how many stick insects ride bikes on zwift . As soon as there is a single bit of flat cheerio! if someone is entering a fake weight on their Zwift profile, the only person they're cheating is themselves, cos they're going to get destroyed out on the roads where it really matters. why because of weight, not power. Living at 5,900 ft. adds a performance restriction on me, I get it. What I think your articles miss to point out, though, (Im sure you are well aware of the problem), like people have mentioned already, is exactly how many cheaters there are that manage to stay in lineRead more . 2 yr. ago. I dont think it can all be attributed to weight; it appears that some hardware tweaks can scale up the reported power output. I have seen riders weighting 56 kgs and week later they are 35 kgs. Hes asking for a fair race. He lives in Northern California with his beautiful wife, two kids and dog. Finally, just head back to ZwiftPower and click 'Connect to my Account'. Find out more about how we test. (Example: if your FTP is 300 watts and you weigh 75kg, your FTP w/kg would be 300/75, or 4 w/kg.) its only cheating myself, instead I would prefer to spend that 2 painful hours doing something honestly and feel proud of it than zooming through it in sub 60m and not reap the same benefits (or in my case, pain). Taking weight out of the equation you could just make everyones avatar moving forward by holding down the up arrow on their keyboard. Not sure why its hard for you to believe that there are a lot of riders under 70kgs. They do however have a disadvantage on any flat or downhill. Some big Zwift races have specific rulesets, etc. seeing a riders weight in ZP and any changes made to the reported weight may help internet stalkers feel better about their poor race performance but it doesnt actually help identify cheats. Tough to recover after attacks in a race when youre always near maxing out. In a race not in Zwift it is very easy for people to recongize who I am. On Zwift, weight dopers seek to gain an advantage by entering a lower-than-life weight into their Zwift profile. Daniel Ostanek is production editor at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired as staff writer. My power to weight is decent at about 4w/kg. 5 year age categories and incredibly competitive a in most age groups, Thanks so much for your helpful comment. Cheapest Zwift setup: Everything to help you onto Zwift for the first time Hitting G on your keyboard will do it, or swipe up on iPhone or iPad, etc then tap the graph button. We like this move from Zwift. The categories currently used in most Zwift events are based on your FTP watts per kilo- that is, your FTP in watts, divided by your weight in kilograms. Frankly I struggle to believe these are real. Check out this FAQ for some of our frequently asked questions: Q:&. Ugh! 2 Likes _Jynxy_EVO (:)) October 1, 2021, 1:41pm #8 thxs mike, Context, Tim, context! 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. Thats why there are no top 40 Cat C riders in 70-75Kg range. You only change it in Zwift and it should get picked up with regular backend processing periodically (maybe overnight). Shame I cant edit my post for the horrendous spelling and autocorrect gaffes. I just we had a better system than category limits, racing license anybody? Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. People can be far to either direction im 25 and my max that I have hit is 217. Privacy Policy, How to Race on Zwift (Setup, Strategy, and More). Especially for the C and D groups but even for the Bs albeit to a lesser degree. All the emphasis on physical metrics makes sense for putting together how speed is calculated but not how one can race. thanks for the help with the graphs. If thats the norm, then I really dont see theRead more . Well, imagine youre a strong C racer. It's also possible to filter results and data by categories, such as different age or power ranges. If you've already created an accountcheck out the s. With Zwift control is difficult (in getting Zwifters to enter their accurate) wait. Everyone races at the same weight/height. As Zwift racer James Eastwood so aptly put it, The community dont want to see peoples weight they want fair racing.. I dont really race so I am OK and any workouts are harder this way. 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. Some people, I think, just have a lower HR. The categories are the cycling equivalent to weight classes in boxing. Thats the reason why a results category would be more interesting like Erics suggested in his topic. Would depend entirely upon the bike geometry, how much weight is over the front wheel and how much over the back. On the other hand, I am extremely anti-weight doping and agree with the post pointing out there is no incentive or even reason to be heavier. triathlon). Sandbagging is pointless if winning means youre going to move up (unless you want to take 3 months off after your win. How do I get started on Zwift? I have wondered about this subject on a few occasions. Yes, but hopefully the system would be designed so, if drop a category then begin doing well, you get upgraded again! Bath Completing this first step means that you've given permission to share your results and activity history with ZwiftPower, so now all of your performance and race data can be transferred across to the website. Seeing someone race cat A/B on Zwift and then be at the back of the age group pack in a local tri/ bike race canRead more , I understand what you are saying, but the average racer who can legitimately churn out x watts/ kilo for minutes on end will be doing more with that than just being a zwift warrior (if they are getting onto the road to really ride and not just commute), and, traffic lights or not, their real-world rides will at least give resemblance to their zwift output, even if only for certain segments at a time. (better than any bike upgrade i could afford) Yes its great to win,but as long as you improve yourself who cares what anyone else does.You will always get cheaters,dodgy equipment and so on so just enjoyRead more . 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. With racer categories? While the benefits of being light fully kick in while climbing a mountain (as it is easier for smaller guys to achieve certain w/kg), the benefits of being a tall and strong guy dont fully apply in the flats. Though our intent is to protect potentially vulnerable users by removing labels that can trigger unhealthy behaviour What are they trying to protect? Contribute a post, shop through us, make a donation, advertise on this site. Exactly. 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. My IRL time and my Zwift time are almost the same. Hes not looking for a trophy every race. As a 59/60kg rider who always seems to have a higher w/kg than the people I finish around, Ive been curious about adding 50% to both my weight and http://ftp. If there are problems, Zwift already has a reporting function and everything is recorded police that properly andRead more . If you are on the lighter side, try picking some climbing races. There is no reason I should be gettingRead more , Sounds like its time to start racing the Bs, @guest_35522! (Same effect in a sprint, just harder to isolate). I think a once-weekly weigh-in is acceptable. There could be Zwift level weight bonuses instead of another pair of socks. Yes us heavier riders have the downhill advantage definitely. In some cases this even happens unfairly. A recent Crit City A Race is a very good example of this: I finished in the front pack, sprinting it out for 9th place. Most of the time, this will be what you use to figure out your race category. Leave the setting unchanged and climbs often feel challenging. Riders weight will rise and fall but under normal circumstances within a range. IRead more , Aaron, do you know what is the wattage requirement for Cat A? Some races (many, in fact) on Zwift work exactly like that. 5x5min, 4x8min but definitely never longer than 8 minutes. I ride B category races & never podium but have been puzzled as I always seem to have a higher w/kg than most of the other riders in the race. Cyclingnews is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. There is enough variation in power profile to make it interesting without weight, what makes racing fun is trying to create tactics that favour yourRead more , Interesting & well reasoned article which answers a lot of things which were puzzling me. But many people (including myself) prefer categorized races because we want to have a chance to actually battle it out for a win. below this level you just have to take people's word for it. Youve got people putting out 5+ watts/kilo atRead more . That a cat rider may win a d race but on zwiftpower they will be DQd for not riding an A race. The categorization system is, like you say, fundamentally flawed. Nailed it. Although does WTRL encourage reverse weight doping? A great challenge for those looking for those training gains. Fluctuations of a few percent would be tolerated and percent change would be displayed on ZP. IRL I am 85kgs and cant pretend to be 65kgs. light guys categorically do NOT have an advantage on the flats vs heavier guys, assuming both riding at same w/kg, heavy guy WILL be going faster on Zwift. Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts. , Myself being a lighter rider who fluctuates some 2kg during a week I tend to always use my upper weight giving me a lower Wkg. I havent even used my road bike outdoors since 2012. I think he is referring to the 2021 Haute Route GC (or lack thereof), Sorry, thats right, it was the Haute Route 2021 events. Among the communicated changes were plans to hide the visibility of height and weight from ZwiftPower in an effort to encourage individual health and wellness. Adjusting Difficulty Before Your Workout. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). But theres one problem: this puts you into the B category, and you dont want to race the Bs. Yes, there are plenty of variabies, but power is power. 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. I hopeRead more . Would achieve the same thing. In the 2 months Ive been on Zwift Ive become a stronger rider than ever, because Zwift encourages me to push myself harder than I do in real life. Bump your Zwift weight up to 84kg and even with your new and improved 260-watt FTP youre only at 3.1 w/kg! Why not only require weight and height for entry to A and B races? Additionally, well be moving forward on hiding height and weight from Zwift Companion and Web. All lists are full of 190cm lads weighting 65kgs. Im sure it happens, but I would guess its pretty rare certainly less of a problem than normal weight doping. Then weigh yourself, and open Zwift, and see if it reflects the change. I don't think you can do it from the game itself. Last week I jumped into my first race and it was at the last minute on a whim because I was getting tired of my training ride. It does not stop cheating at all. nothing less. 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. 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). My W/Kg has gone from 3.76 to 3.97 without me really improving my FTP. More of an issue than thisRead more . there's a million and 1 reasons why it is not a legitimate sport. Then save your ride and log out. I have no idea. Good question. 2022 SNOW Sprint Series i was just having a similar discussion with my old lady about watts and weights, etc. Even some of the regulated weight rides will give 2kg leeway. Someone with my FTP should be CAT B, regardless of weight. 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. However, I have a lighter and faster son that smokes me head to head. Why dont you start self-regulating then? If you're on Zwift and planning to get racing, then signing up to the third-party app ZwiftPower (opens in new tab) is an essential step. His favourite races are Strade Bianche and the Volta a Portugal, and he rides a Colnago C40. My performance IRL then probably looks pale compared to when Im racing in Zwift, I use the same power meter on Zwift as I do outdoors and I only push it outdoors during FTP tests and during closed road events (i.e. 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. Put simply, ZwiftPower is a community-driven website that complements the Zwift app. The Forerunner 265 series watches have become Garmin's lowest-priced AMOLED display endurance sports-focused watch, coming in at roughly half the price of the Garmin Epix series launched a year ago - but here with full multiband GNSS support on all Forerunner 265 units, while also adding in Training Readiness - a major Garmin endurance sports focused feature. Threshold HR is around 151 bpm. Taking that info away further depersonalizes the platform, and and may be fine in group rides, but it is a step closer to racing against bots. It all has to do with the way Zwift's racing categories work. ZwiftPower - Login Please update your Zwift ID on the connection page to complete registration. 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. There is no cat C rider at 58kg who has a hope in hell of beating me in any race. In real life, Id dust that guy. Contribute a post, shop through us, make a donation, advertise on this site. This community-driven site is maintained by Eric Schlange and a team of Zwift enthusiasts. 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. The rule set for the categories is so simple yet Id bet >99% dont understand it, to my knowledge cyclingRead more . In reality no under 12 is competing with a decent 2nd or 3rd cat (UK system) Ive ridden with enough talented youth riders that this is fact so letting young kids crush half decent amateurs on zwift would be unrealistic. ), You say at the end..you do you, it doesnt affect anyone. Absolutely impossible. Thanks! Most of my ZwiftRead more . How Do I Change My FTP On Zwift? The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox! However, I do understand Kens point. Food for thought. This site contains affiliate links to Amazon, Wahoo, and other brands. How come I get beat in sprints when a 60kg guy puts out 700W, when I put out over 1000W at 76kg? Daniel has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France and the spring Classics, and has interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Wout van Aert, Remco Evenepoel, Mark Cavendish, Demi Vollering, and Anna van der Breggen. 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. There's a forum, too, so that users can discuss ongoing race series, find out about upcoming events and have any queries answered and problems solved. Racing the As resp. It doesnt appear that people are abiding by the categories. Whether w/kg is the appropriate way to categorise races is anotherRead more , As a 92kg rider, with a w/kg FTP of 289 (or 3.14 w/kg) I wholeheartedly agree. Hes had to up his weight as he is only 35kg ( upped time 45kg) he but puts out 220watt so his ftp is 5.5-6w/kg in a race. Keep answering that question and youll keep most people on side. My guess is that another reason some do it, is because it gives you points on zwiftpower, becauseRead more . Prior to joining the team, he had written for most major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly, Rouleur, and CyclingTips. Ill remain skeptical until I see some actual changes. The only way for complete cheat free racing is in the zwift Pro race which is all done in a single room with all riders together. A good portion of that weight difference is in the Hub's 10.3 . But youre training and racing and getting stronger, and eventually your FTP improves to 260 watts, which is 3.25 w/kg. This covers name changes as well as weight/height changes during an event. Nekkid and I only update my weight in zwift if it moves more than a KG. I have climbed well and I have suffered on climbs but also sprinted well. Example: have you ever purposely avoided weighing yourself (especially you who have a Withings scale that automatically updates your Zwift weight) because you know youve put on a few pounds over the weekend? Either these racers need to calibrate the trainer or they are sandbagging big time. Weight doping is only a serious issue when its done in competition. 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. I hope they learn from this and are more careful with things like that in the future. Using your Mac or PC, you can do it online on the Zwift website. If Zwift can be seen to be doing that then very little need toRead more . So its not that easy for light people to hide in the pack and benefit from the draft in Zwift, which is half the reality (in many ways its easier IRL). Some of the reasons Ive never pushed as hard on a real ride include: Stopping / slowing for junctions Traffic / pedestrians / other hazards Appreciating the view No watt meter on my real bike I dont race in real life I dont do workouts in real life Changing wind Threat of a headwind on my home journey And the biggest: WantingRead more , Agree with the above. w/kg is partially based on real world physics. Updating Your Public Profile Zwift takes your physical measurements into account for things like leaderboards, speed, and your avatar's physical appea. yes, but you are missing my point. You will receive a verification email shortly. Mike, Great article as ever Eric. The bottom line is that in any competition there will always be someone who wants to cheat to win.Read more . But it highlights a bigger problem, and that is the fundamental flaw of using watts per kilo for race categorization. The key phrase is assuming both riding at the same W/kg, so for the same watts, if I claim to be 10kgs lighter than I really am my W/kg will increase considerably. There are two ways to do this. Keep hammering the point and finding ways that Zwift can improve controls. In spectacular and shocking fashion. How many cyclists do you see in real life who are 65kgs, but they are ten a penny on Zwift. (Image credit: George Marshall / Zwift) The first thing you notice when the flag drops, is Zwift racing is so much harder than your run of the mill bike race . Some Zwifters go so far as to social-stalk other riders, comparing their photos to their Zwift weight and calling them out for weight doping. Youre having fun winning (or nearly winning) C races! With my question answered as to what I should pick for my next race, Id delete my original post if I could, but I cannot figure out how. How doRead more . High intensity: 30/30 and 40/20sec Rnnestad intervals like 3x (10x40/20sec). Since we know that lighter weight=higher virtual speed, this is a very easy way to cheat the system on Zwift. We can name and shame these few. Makes me happy to see that the community is able to speak with one voice if necessary. Your voice is important to us. Two months ago he had a magic weight loss on zwift. I did this because I had a particular effort level planned for my workout that day, and didnt want to exceed it. Yet the lesson is clear if you want to win, even on flat courses, have or claim a very low weight. Can someone answer why we need the different categories? I was told that was possible but I couldnt see how. It lets Zwift racers and race organisers track results and check out all the details of the races they've participated in, as well as monitoring and analysing their data. 2. I started zwifting about 2 1/2 months ago.I did the ftp test and put in the correct weight.Ive no idea how precise my trainer is tho.what i do know is,Ive managed to go from cat c to a. 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. How big of a problem is reverse weight doping? Terms of Use/DMCA Copyright Policy Last week I did the prl full and Uber pretzel and tried to get #1 by weight on those segments. And flags height and weight changes if they go up or down alot. Simply put, the system cannot measure weight it can only measure power, so for racing, peoples weight should be disregarded by that I mean, just as everyone in a zwift academy race has the same bike, they should be given the same weight , then it is a race based on FTP banded categories with point based promotion. Maybe also add weight change limit 2kg per week? I still have no sprint kick so Im never winning anything anyway. yea but realistically is it worth it for them to dedicate the resources to that $$$$$$$, Well, thats good news. I am always passed by everyone on the way up but can usually catch up on the way down (190cm/93kg). If I get down to 52 kilos I can climb well but my sprinting is terrible. Congratulations John on your retirement and Zwift is a great retirement present. (Example: if your FTP is 300 watts and you weigh 75kg, your FTP w/kg would be 300/75, or 4 w/kg.). Keep writing this sort of thing. If I wanted to win I just drop my weight to 65kgs 350w/65kgs is a lot better than 350w/85kgs, of course 350w/65kg is better than 350w/85kg, its a massive increase in w/kg. We are both lighter riders and find the w/kg categorisation system frustrating (unfair even) but its what we have at the moment I think most people feel like they have a right to be competitive but this simply is not the case and ifRead more . The book Fast After 50 is a good read on how masters athletes can train more effectively. As a relatively light 69kg rider, I often feel at a disadvantage in the flatter races, of which there are many more than hilly ones. But then you could have someone in the same age group who maxes out at 170. Not knowing what to pick and with minutes until the my first race, I selected the C group and was thus filtered out of the Zwift Power race results when I then posted a 4.00w/kg over the 28 minute race. On a tablet or smartphone, you can download the.