Ride On. Racing on the Zwift virtual platform has only increased, with the professionals getting in on the act, too, via the Zwift Tour for All, the Virtual Tour of the Gila, and e-races organised by Team Ineos. Ive lost 2.2kg over a 6 hour ride due to carb loading before, and burning that and hence losing a lot of water weight during the ride. Or theyll ride races 1-2 categories below their actual W/kg so they can still win and feel like that theyre legends. Zwift doesnt like this and disqualifies him on Zwift power. I started started zwift four months ago as a retirement present to myself. 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. Good question. People still rode at B level pace in a C group. And flags height and weight changes if they go up or down alot. Ive connected my garmin scale with this app https://smartscalesync.com/?utm_source=tr I have been cycling since I was a kid and now close to 50. Im the opposite. IRead more , Aaron, do you know what is the wattage requirement for Cat A? The key phrase there is have the same W/kg its very easy to boost your W/kg simply tell Zwift you are lighter than you really are. I argue that he is intentionally misrepresenting his weight so he can place higher in B instead of getting shelled in A (like I do). How about simply showing a percentage variance. 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. First, you need to sign up for an account. Yes, but hopefully the system would be designed so, if drop a category then begin doing well, you get upgraded again! As we said in the first post, Assuming race organizers can access the data via ZwiftPower, and the site includes simple tools for spotting potential weight or height dopers (perhaps flagging those who made dramatic changes recently), then hiding weight and height data from the public should work swimmingly.. 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. The race categories end up looking something like this (taken from the current Tour of Watopia race events): ZwiftPower, home of official race results for community races, adds some pure wattage breakpoints to the above list to help lightweight riders stay competitive. Hopefully ZHQ will take a harder look the changes that have been proposed over the past year or so. 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. Zwift is full of cheaters and thats not going to change now. My 3.9w/kg (a new PR!) What is that!?! You should do much better at your actual weight in that case. Whilst this might be the case, as Eric implies in flat races light weight riders have to work harder to stay in touch with the heavier riders in the bunch. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Not everyone has the same HRmax. Launch Zwift and go to the Menu. Zwift should take accountability for what matters most to start with and thats the cheaters. But it highlights a bigger problem, and that is the fundamental flaw of using watts per kilo for race categorization. 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). I never thought i should weigh myself with my kit on. the lighter rider has to ride much harder to stay in the groups with a few big guys cruising along. Im using a quarq crank power meter on my rock and roll while I save up for direct drive. Click on the Settings button and you'll find the Trainer Difficulty slider. Why dont you start self-regulating then? it's a good training tool. You do you. people need to stop taking Zwift racing so seriously. As for the weight, I weight 190lbs, (86Ks) I put in 190lbs. With Zwift control is difficult (in getting Zwifters to enter their accurate) wait. nothing less. Skinny guys get DQd if they match heavies on the flat for power so they can NEVER win, even in the mountains. 2. Although does WTRL encourage reverse weight doping? Too heavy watts are up but watts per kilo goes down. And besides, my main goal on Zwift is to not get dropped in the hills during Team Cryo-Gens more hardcore Saturday rides! Then save your ride and log out. I still have no sprint kick so Im never winning anything anyway. My solution would make everyones chances equal, while yours would strongly favor heavy riders. Why not ride to your strengths? 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. however 2 riders at the same w/kg, heavier riders have the advantage on flats & descents: https://zwiftinsider.com/wkg-tests/. would that be cheating then ? Frustrating to someone who tries so hard to compete in my weight class to get beat by cheaters. It points to the need for a results-based categorization system, which I discussed a month ago in the final post of my race category series. Now I know it is a thing. Zwift lets you adjust the difficulty of your workout, before or even during your ride. Their hr should also correspond, which they often dont. Read on for our guide on how the app works, how to get set up, and how to analyse your racing. I have a Withings scale and in the Zwift Settings, it shows up as connected. I have been light and I have been heavy. Most of my ZwiftRead more . Keep writing this sort of thing. 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. The categorization system is, like you say, fundamentally flawed. Take one of our four FTP tests to determine your FTP. 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. (Example: if your FTP is 300 watts and you weigh 75kg, your FTP w/kg would be 300/75, or 4 w/kg.). Races can use different schemes to categorise riders, but most of them use this scheme: You can, of course, progress through the ranks as you race. But for most riders watts per kilo rules the day, determining which category you race in Zwift. Certainly it impacts the accuracy of race performance and results. 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. I once made myself much heavier so I could compete against my 11-year-old son in a head to head Zwift climbing race. But then you could have someone in the same age group who maxes out at 170. Now in A i get dropped all the time. 2 Likes _Jynxy_EVO (:)) October 1, 2021, 1:41pm #8 thxs mike, My power to weight ratio would be the same, but Id get the benefits you get from being a heavier rider. This is why for a while I was ranked as a C even though my w/kg was higher than 3.2 since my watts werent over 200. If you are on the lighter side, try picking some climbing races. On a flat ride I would beat every sub 60kg cat B rider too. I am not in the least bit interested in competition cycling, so no point in doping in either direction as i would only be cheating myself. The six-digit number highlighted in bold will be your Zwift ID. Next up is the most finicky part of the process finding your Zwift ID in order to connect your accounts. The guy who got first weighs 106kg on strava but 45kg and only 411 on zwift. The race I did had all categories racing together with a mass start, so the categories felt arbitrary as my place was not within my chosen category but across the whole field anyway. 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. (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 . Even if Id ridden at threshold a little over 4 W/kg, I wouldnt have been able to hang onto the front in a D race, it seems. hanging with the front group is very though for me because i am exactly at the bridge between A and B. Well, imagine youre a strong C racer. Hi, very impressive w/kg at 65. You lose 10 liters of sweat during a medium long ride? Note how he wins races while his max HR is around 30 beats below his maximum. How big of a problem is reverse weight doping? As a lighter racer 136lbs it pisses me off to see cheating. Why can we just all race together and the fastest person wins? It's a bit more complicated than most website sign-ups, but now you'll be all ready to get started. if youre on zwift and intentionally cheating to get whichever fake virtual badge or win whichever fake virtual place in a race, then youre real-life literal loser. At least I can be best in one thing on zwiftpower. I put my real weight 95% of the time. Okay, I now see in ZP where it has my minimum racer category (B) in my profile based on my last race, so I can choose B or A going forward. I averaged between 300 and 310 watts for all segments and my heart sat pretty consistently between 140 and 144.Read more , saying x number of watts per kg at xxx hr is flawed anyways max and resting hr can vary alot. The COVID-19 lockdown period, now in its third month around the world, has seen an unprecedented boom in virtual cycling. Once you have a number for your FTP in watts, divide it by your weight in kilograms. On Zwift I look suspicous. 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 currently weigh 59kgs but my BMI is 25 which technically overweight. Not too many people actually want to see other peoples height or weight except to be able to verify race results are reasonable. We may call it sandbagging or reversed weight doping but its legal . Someone sandbagging will get promoted out of category and will not be allowed to reg for lower categories. Ive been on a mission to get back to my racing weight in 2020. Im 170cm and currently 61kg with an ideal triathlon racing weight of 59kg. below this level you just have to take people's word for it. Just from riding regularly I went from 166 FTP to 187 in 800 miles over a 2 1/2 months. I used to live next to the Alpe and later, next to the Ventoux. Nekkid and I only update my weight in zwift if it moves more than a KG. 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). 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. Enforce race category entry and youll fix much of the problems with Zwift racing. 1 second per 1 km on the AdZ dowhill (after losing minutes going up it) is literally the only place in the game its beneficial and the IRL advantages on the flats over light riders is excessivelyRead more . I don't think you can do it from the game itself. (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. If Zwift can be seen to be doing that then very little need toRead more . 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. He had fun laughing at fat dad, but I pipped him at the line! Some races (many, in fact) on Zwift work exactly like that. Just sign up for A races from now on. Please refresh the page and try again. Doing this will bring up a box at the bottom of the browser showing a web address something similar to: https://s3-fit-prd-uswest2-zwift.s3.amazonaws.com/prod/000000/a2e1b7f8-27610843. 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 have wondered about this subject on a few occasions. As well as original reporting, news and feature writing, and production work, Daniel also runs The Leadout newsletter and oversees How to Watch guides throughout the season. 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. Zwift is great just to ride around and it has lots of good training sessions which you can do. Then lets stop with all athletic competition! Look at ZP results. 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. A good portion of that weight difference is in the Hub's 10.3 . If thats the norm, then I really dont see theRead more . If I get down to 52 kilos I can climb well but my sprinting is terrible. Im glad you wrote about this. Im surprised that (off wheel) smart trainers dont have the ability to weigh the rider when they get on the bike. Terms of Use/DMCA Copyright Policy Keep hammering the point and finding ways that Zwift can improve controls. Stick a few more kgs on to stop you getting upgraded, would that get you a ban? Hes not looking for a trophy every race. 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. This community-driven site is maintained by Eric Schlange and a team of Zwift enthusiasts. How doRead more . 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. But without any hard and fast rules, we cant say anything is illegalat least for certain races. Riders weight will rise and fall but under normal circumstances within a range. It certainly didnt feel like I had taken it easy when IRead more . 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. Id say physics does! If you were to meet meRead more . Id be super interested in the timing you set your weight. Kudos to Zwift for listening to their customers and admitting they made a mistake. Im glad our collective voice was heard on this one, In the future, well continue to bring potential product ideas and changes to members of the Zwift Racing Community, with the hope that youll embrace this as a collaborative effort to help shape the experience.. 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. 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. Maybe they should display and categorise HR as a %age? I dont really race so I am OK and any workouts are harder this way. IRL I am 85kgs and cant pretend to be 65kgs. They are not, and never were, skill classes of any kind (ie. The rule set for the categories is so simple yet Id bet >99% dont understand it, to my knowledge cyclingRead more . Youll move a little slower with the added virtual weight, but youll be able to hang with the front of the Cs instead of getting shelled off the back of the Bs. Lucky forRead more . I completely agree with the last paragraph here. I think Im just heavier than my competition. The categories are the cycling equivalent to weight classes in boxing. I never reverse weight doped. Privacy Policy, How to Race on Zwift (Setup, Strategy, and More). 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. Some weight dopers are obvious and blatant other times its much less egregious. 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. Tough to recover after attacks in a race when youre always near maxing out. Noob question though, whats the etiquette around weighing with kit on or off. We remain committed to protecting the health and well being of the broader Zwift Community, and we look forward to enacting additional measures in the future. How come I get beat in sprints when a 60kg guy puts out 700W, when I put out over 1000W at 76kg? My FTP/kg is 3.88, which I now know would make me a B racer (3.2-3.9). Adjusting Difficulty Before Your Workout. There are two ways to do this. 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. I think you can force it with the Refresh Profile button in your ZP Profile but again, not sure if that triggers it immediately or overnight. But Its hard to confirm whether or not its transmitting the weight to Zwift. I have seen riders weighting 56 kgs and week later they are 35 kgs. This is how racing is supposed to work. It all has to do with the way Zwift's racing categories work. otherwise no way in hell hes beating you. In spectacular and shocking fashion. Do you believe weight doping (reverse or otherwise) is a big problem in Zwift racing, and if so, what can be done about it? Nice work! Updating Your Public Profile Zwift takes your physical measurements into account for things like leaderboards, speed, and your avatar's physical appea. I think with a results based system would help as it would the sandbaggers, but it wont eliminate the weight cheats entirely, those that just want to gain a little more w/kg by losing a few virtual pounds. In the future, well continue to bring potential product ideas and changes to members of the Zwift Racing Community, with the hope that youll embrace this as a collaborative effort to help shape the experience. That guy who weighs 300lbs and gets 1st place in Cs for a month straight should be automatically upgraded to Bs and Bs to As. Two months ago he had a magic weight loss on zwift. Are you efficient, or just heavy? When a rider can change categories by modifying their virtual body weight, thats an issue. Race them if you want, but Rides like Tour de Zwift are not based on rider category, they are based on distance. But I also did it because I knew it was great practice! Thats not what I recall at all, everything is a race, even if you werent aware . Theyre only cheating themselves and it all comes out in the wash eventually. Tie that together with not letting people race in a lower (but letting them race in a higher) cat, and youll have fixed a number of the issues. As soon as I start pedaling Im pretty much into threshold (around 170bpm). This would cover submission and review of a private video showing height and weight which would result in a check mark on ZP showing this rider was height/weight verified. We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices. Conserving energy is a key part of successful bike racing. i was just having a similar discussion with my old lady about watts and weights, etc. I am not saying that everyone with a low weight on zwift is cheating, but I am suggesting that there are many who are because zwift favours light riders, and people do like to win. And atRead more . They do however have a disadvantage on any flat or downhill. Everyone else in the race is riding flat out (your own HR was 174bpm) but these guys are just cruising along watching their watts and are then able toRead more , Not sure its that simple I am a heavy category C racer, and (funnily enough) finished 5th in both my recent Crit City races with average HR of 153 and 150. However, I have a lighter and faster son that smokes me head to head. 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. You must be a much better person than me, because thats something I will Never make peace with. Zwift excessively rewards the athlete for being light and small. People can be far to either direction im 25 and my max that I have hit is 217. (Example: if your FTP is 300 watts and you weigh 75kg, your FTP w/kg would be 300/75, or 4 w/kg.) On Zwift Power categories have both a wattage requirement and a w/kg requirement. 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. Included with this license agreement can be the approval to show height and weight. Hi Using HRM is difficult as well as you max HRM changes with age mine is 159 flat out but I am over 60. 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). In theory (at least) weight dopers could game the results based categories as well. 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.

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