If I am racing I want to be able to look across at the guy/girl next to me (ie on the Companion app) and get an idea if they are going to kill me on the next hill, or not are they a 185cm/90kg guy versus my 172cm/74kg. 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. Updating Your Public Profile Zwift takes your physical measurements into account for things like leaderboards, speed, and your avatar's physical appea. There is no cat C rider at 58kg who has a hope in hell of beating me in any race. Well, its adding weight to gain an advantage. As a low to mid-cat rider, ImRead more . Sandbagging is pointless if winning means youre going to move up (unless you want to take 3 months off after your win. A thank you to Zwift HQ for listening to the feedback from the racing community and taking action. are clay hart and sally flynn still married; composite chart 12th house; tupperware party points; st francis of assisi school jobs All rights reserved. Tour de Zwift events were races? This afternoon, Zwift posted a follow-up message on the forum. I climbed the Alpe last night for Stage 3 of the Tour of Watopia, missing my target of going under an hour by just over 12 seconds (Aargh!!). In a race not in Zwift it is very easy for people to recongize who I am. Some big Zwift races have specific rulesets, etc. Additionally, well be moving forward on hiding height and weight from Zwift Companion and Web. My HR numbers are almost identical to yours. 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. This raised concerns within the Zwift Racing Community regarding fairness in racing. It impacts the Group Rides and as you said the performance statistics individually. They do? 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. I did this because I had a particular effort level planned for my workout that day, and didnt want to exceed it. 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. As there is no official A+ CAT there is nothing to worry about, but if there were, I would be right between A and A+. As soon as I start pedaling Im pretty much into threshold (around 170bpm). Not everyone has the same HRmax. ur allowed +/- 5% weight for pro zwift races so +/- 0.5 kg is not going to make a difference :p. add weight if u want to stay in D. lower weight if u wanna move to C. up 2 u. 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 have long ago earned all of the challenges and levels. Its a huge problem. You make a good pointthere isnt a published race ruleset that clearly states that riders are 1) required to use accurate weight and 2) enter the correct race category. If youre a 300-pound dude who wants to go a little faster uphill as a virtual 200 pounder, have at it. Choose a Zwift workout, but before you start riding look at the workout breakdown on the left side of the screen. Im quite heavy, at about 85kgs, but also 183cms tall (and 52 years old). Otherwise I stand by my comment. 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. I have been frustrated with the GC results in the current Tour of Watopia series. Great article, Eric. He lives in Northern California with his beautiful wife, two kids and dog. Included with this license agreement can be the approval to show height and weight. But I will, and Ill get hammered and hopefully improve. I have no idea. look at the article. bottom line for me, its a virtual training world, a virtual hammer isnt the same as a real hammer. Why dont you start self-regulating then? In fact, if in a long ride your weight could change by more than 1kg over the course of that one ride!!! If you're putting out enough power, then you can make your way up the ranks and keep on racing. We can name and shame these few. Im surprised that (off wheel) smart trainers dont have the ability to weigh the rider when they get on the bike. I think the main problem with women and weight on zwift is regular weightdoping, magnified probably by all the wonderful social stigmas and judgment surrounding womens bodies. Work over time is work over time. With Zwift control is difficult (in getting Zwifters to enter their accurate) wait. Is a very strong rider for his age and trains hard. Keep hammering the point and finding ways that Zwift can improve controls. But without any hard and fast rules, we cant say anything is illegalat least for certain races. I am 42 years-old with a HRmax of ~169 bpm. Find some hilly races As a result your suggestion of the watts vs w/kg different systems is already baked into the game physics in a way. But youre not affecting anyone elses experience. To move up to the next rank, ZwiftPower will take 95 per cent of your 20-minute average w/kg figure from your previous three races. I dont really race so I am OK and any workouts are harder this way. 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. People with eating disorders, or a proclivity toward extreme dieting. It just makes a mockery of the whole system. That was my first thought when a fellow Zwifter commented on my recent race, Somehow you always get your w/kg down. Other than that, I rarely look at weight unless some results are very weird. 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. people need to stop taking Zwift racing so seriously. Put simply, ZwiftPower is a community-driven website that complements the Zwift app. 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. A good portion of that weight difference is in the Hub's 10.3 . Theyre only cheating themselves and it all comes out in the wash eventually. I think a once-weekly weigh-in is acceptable. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. (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 . Id never do this as my Zwift Power is an accurate log of weight and power but it does make me wonder how much easier itd be to be bigger. In some cases this even happens unfairly. Secondly, Zwifts statement says they agree there is a need for tools that deliver greater transparency to Zwift racing. Thats good to see, and we completely agree! 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. Joining ZwiftPower isn't the most straightforward series of steps, but we've broken it down so you can get started as soon as possible. Makes me happy to see that the community is able to speak with one voice if necessary. Perhaps if you post a W/kg in excess ofRead more , So thats why I could easily keep up with a 3-3.4wkg group yesterday whilst keeping my wattage at some 2.5-2.7just my 107kgs.the rest were probably featherweight category :) Frankly I struggle to believe these are real. 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. This isnt IRL racing it is e-racing. Obviously, these are generally accepted rules in the Zwift Community. Why try to force IRL parameters that can not be enforced. 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. People still rode at B level pace in a C group. One question I have struggled to answer though which maybe is not a consideration is that on the flat watts is what is required and I also have to push high wkg to stay with groups. Current category system simply allows very fast but heavy riders to race in categories lower than their actual abilities. Login Required The Zwift Engineering team is focused on improving security for ZwiftPower users. 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. I dont think so. 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. Then weigh yourself, and open Zwift, and see if it reflects the change. My weight is showing orange everytime. Last week I did the prl full and Uber pretzel and tried to get #1 by weight on those segments. (ignoring that it evens out and you have the advantage on the hills but lets ignore that because its all about you and you should always podium in every race in your life, because mommy told you that you were special and big mean Zwift is making you work so hard on the flats). Zwift Insider is independent of Zwift corporate (www.zwift.com), although Zwift does provide funding to help defray site costs. 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. Mike, Great article as ever Eric. Weight doping is a key challenge for cycling esports to overcome, and its one reason why many big races (e.g., those with prize money) require riders to show up and weigh in on-location in a supervised environment. Hahahahaha. Most of my ZwiftRead more . Keep it on. ZwiftPower - Login Please update your Zwift ID on the connection page to complete registration. Note how he wins races while his max HR is around 30 beats below his maximum. Then save your ride and log out. 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. Too light and watts go down as does watts per kilo. The 33-pound Hub is 14 pounds lighter than the 47-pound Wahoo Kickr, even though the two trainers are almost exactly the same size. Would achieve the same thing. This site contains affiliate links to Amazon, Wahoo, and other brands. Just sign up for A races from now on. As a Triathlete, I have a different perspective when racing and riding on Zwift because the vast majority of Zwifters (according to Zwift and Strava) are only cycling; whereas Im also training by Running and Swimming. Im 70 inches tall and 156 pounds right now vs 166lb on Jan 1. ThatRead more . Since strava is all that matters of course. Or weight bonuses for completing events that last for a set amount of days or even hours. 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 I get down to 52 kilos I can climb well but my sprinting is terrible. I guess I shouldnt be surprised. IRead more , Aaron, do you know what is the wattage requirement for Cat A? 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. Share your thoughts below, and you may also wish to share those thoughts on the actual forum post. Its ridiculous. This is how racing is supposed to work. 0.5kg discrepancy either side is actually quite small. 1 - Manually Set Your FTP Let's say you already know your FTP, then you can go into Zwift and manually change it to whatever you'd like. Although does WTRL encourage reverse weight doping? On Zwift I look suspicous. But the vast majority do not. This is especially true if you are trying to ride with riders you possibly know locally or otherwise. Great drafting skills!, Heres the thing: I probably am a fairly efficient racer, when I want to be. 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 did on one and second on the other. 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." I completely missed these as I reinvented the wheel, trying to stir up the hornets nest on the Zwift forums the other day. I am currently 145kg and have not experienced any bullying so far. 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. Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts. People can be far to either direction im 25 and my max that I have hit is 217. triathlon). 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? Wow, cheating !! 1. SoggyAlbatross2. Blaming Zwift for eating disorders is not sensible. Eric runs Zwift Insider in his spare time when he isn't on the bike or managing various business interests. Zwift can wipe your Zwift Power profile and give you a clean slate to start over if you want, but I think you will lose all past data. Have you considered age category racing. As Zwift racer James Eastwood so aptly put it, The community dont want to see peoples weight they want fair racing.. How big of a problem is reverse weight doping? otherwise no way in hell hes beating you. Terms of Use/DMCA Copyright Policy IfRead more . In real life, Id dust that guy. Problem solved! Or are you looking for a participation trophy on every race as well? Hitting G on your keyboard will do it, or swipe up on iPhone or iPad, etc then tap the graph button. Best Zwift setups: Indoor cycling setups to give you the competitive edge. I am alleging that weight cheating is endemic in zwift, especially among those who care about winning. I agree with what you say Eric but the weight doping does negatively impact the casual rider if they are following other riders in a casual/social ride. Future state can add a nominal cost to said license to support clean racing via Zwift tech updates. Exactly. Thats a good thing. Good heavens man, the sentence before You do you says If its not done during a competitive Zwift event, I dont see it as a problem. Obviously weight doping in races is cheating and not acceptable. Yet the lesson is clear if you want to win, even on flat courses, have or claim a very low weight. I know a woman who is 5 feet tall and almost 200lb. Heavy riders not only have a huge advantage on down slopes (the steeper the more advantage); they also have an advantage on the flats; its only when it gets to above 5%+ you can start to break a heavier rider. 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 am 65 kg with FTP of 270 W, which equlas 4,15 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 . They do however have a disadvantage on any flat or downhill. 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. 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. 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. Weight doping is only a serious issue when its done in competition. Head to http://my.zwift.com/ and hover your mouse cursor over the 'Download' button under one of your activities. Can someone answer why we need the different categories? My IRL time and my Zwift time are almost the same. 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. 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. I put my real weight 95% of the time. Why no monitoring on this? ), So what is reverse weight doping? 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. This can be seen by comparing Zwift physics with real life physics (calculated by websites likeRead more . Some people, I think, just have a lower HR. The book Fast After 50 is a good read on how masters athletes can train more effectively. Zwift is full of cheaters and thats not going to change now. Zwift power usually looks at numbers vs the category race he entered. Stick a few more kgs on to stop you getting upgraded, would that get you a ban? Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, There could be Zwift level weight bonuses instead of another pair of socks. However, I definitely recommend entering some races. When a rider can change categories by modifying their virtual body weight, thats an issue. It would be easy to deny it was intentional. It does the job as described. That's pretty straightforward the usual email, username, password, terms and conditions so you won't have any trouble with this step. Yes us heavier riders have the downhill advantage definitely. This community-driven site is maintained by Eric Schlange and a team of Zwift enthusiasts. Im glad you wrote about this. 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 . Why not ride to your strengths? 2 Likes _Jynxy_EVO (:)) October 1, 2021, 1:41pm #8 thxs mike, angels stadium covid rules. 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. .Personally I one of the outliers on height and weight. I have seen riders weighting 56 kgs and week later they are 35 kgs. 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. I just got upgraded to CAT A according to zwiftpower. 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. 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. So its not Zwift putting you at a disadvantage but the situation itself, just as you would be in the real world in that situation. At least I can be best in one thing on zwiftpower. Monthly weigh ins arent perfect but they are better than no weigh ins. In fact, you can change a workout on Zwift about as fast as you can U-turn a bicycle on a real hill. It's a bit more complicated than most website sign-ups, but now you'll be all ready to get started. (I dont recommend this approach, but it proves the point that weight doping is an issue that concerns many Zwift racers. But maybe Im just thinking like a lady its hard for me to imagine a lady voluntarily gaining weight, even virtual weight. 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 . Just like the CEO promised us rowing years ago, right? And one cheater leads to another and its an arms race of gaming the game. was the lowest of top 15 riders. I use Zwift to get in shape and prepare for outside riding. 8 months ago I was 96kg, but didntRead more , As a light (58kg) rider racing in the Bs it is very frustrating on flat routes where since the main thing that matters is raw watts and not w/kg I would have to put out well over 4 w/kg to keep up with the heavier guys and therefore I pretty much always get dropped before too long. Sure, easy! Certainly it impacts the accuracy of race performance and results. I was told that was possible but I couldnt see how. Then lets stop with all athletic competition! Category systems are complex beasts, of course, I agree, people can have fun with weight doping and such aslong they dont enter competitive races. Im not heavy (68kg), have a typical climber/TT phenotype (no short sprint but good FTP). Look at ZP results. Once you have a number for your FTP in watts, divide it by your weight in kilograms. If it is.. someone must be able to point me to the rule where it says that it is forbidden..? I love reading it. IRL cycling pros are not exactly heavy weights and lean-ness is highly encouraged. Next up is the most finicky part of the process finding your Zwift ID in order to connect your accounts. yea but realistically is it worth it for them to dedicate the resources to that $$$$$$$, Well, thats good news. How many cyclists do you see in real life who are 65kgs, but they are ten a penny on Zwift. How do you actually update your weight on ZP?? While most Zwifters seemed to understand and even appreciate the intent behind the change, there was concern that removing this information would result in increased height/weight doping. How doRead more . BA1 1UA. It certainly didnt feel like I had taken it easy when IRead more . 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. I have to say I weigh myself most mornings in the buff (just my glasses on so I can see the numbers)! Find out more about how we test. I was just naturally heavy and it put me at the top of the C class in w/kg. 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 . Hopefully ZHQ will take a harder look the changes that have been proposed over the past year or so. In theory (at least) weight dopers could game the results based categories as well. Nailed it. And atRead more . I recently won a C race, but it didnt feel like winning as I knew there were 2 categories faster. 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. True, but not necessarily in the way you think. And as well as your race results, you can check your distance ridden, total metres climbed, power peaks from one second up to 75 minutes, and more besides. Whats the cheaters solution? Shame I cant edit my post for the horrendous spelling and autocorrect gaffes. I lost some weight during these few months and gained on FTP Now facing going to C and not getting any good results within the category, Eric, thanks for bringing this to light. But it highlights a bigger problem, and that is the fundamental flaw of using watts per kilo for race categorization. For example, if a rider has an FTP of 210 watts and weighs 75 kilograms, that means the rider's FTP is 2.8 w/kg. (Same effect in a sprint, just harder to isolate). Its only a bit of fun at my level (solid B with the odd podium). I agree with your idea. We like this move from Zwift. (and dont do organized rides for fairness) so I dont have resistance changes and sometimes zwift reports extraordinary power readings for a ride. Some weight dopers are obvious and blatant other times its much less egregious. Well, imagine youre a strong C racer. Im assuming you should weigh just before getting on the bike with all kit including shoes and not just before stepping into the post-ride shower (shorn of all kit and approx 1kg of sweat). But youre training and racing and getting stronger, and eventually your FTP improves to 260 watts, which is 3.25 w/kg. High intensity: 30/30 and 40/20sec Rnnestad intervals like 3x (10x40/20sec). 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. You do you. 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. Now head back to ZwiftPower, click 'Connect' at the top of the page, then enter your Zwift ID in the box when prompted. If they keep riders from competing in categories below their ranking, it will reduce the number of sandbaggers and cruisers. On a tablet or smartphone, you can download the. What is that!?! Zwift lets you adjust the difficulty of your workout, before or even during your ride. 2.5w/kg (215Watts) is hard for me to hold for extended periods but I keep trying. Blaming Zwift for allowing cheaters is the system problem that gets more people frustrated, upset, etc. Heres how it works. My 3 race FTP is at 4.07w/kg (248w @ 61kg), but Im still in Cat B. 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. There is no reason I should be gettingRead more , Sounds like its time to start racing the Bs, @guest_35522! This clearly shows the power of the Zwift blob it impacts more than just drafting. Click on the Settings button and you'll find the Trainer Difficulty slider. 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. Share your thoughts below! plain and simple. The issues with e-racing remain the same, and largely ignored for years now. There is no progression from lower to higher categories through placement. I have just accepted that at my height I will always be heavier than the average cyclist. Case in point: in the A race I mentioned, only one rider was heavier than my 85kg dad bod. Kudos to Zwift for listening to their customers and admitting they made a mistake. If its a big hill, well then w/kg has us equalised. I was going flat out the whole race, and by no means cruising along watching my watts. this is how it is in real life , big ian stannard putting in hard fast miles on the front for (was) team sky , while all the small guys tuck in the peloton getting drafted along saving energy for later on in the race , because they can`t compete on the flat with the big boys . 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. it's a good training tool. Also a really frustrating thing is why doesnt Zwift autoRead more , is he riding in the right category? 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. I use my average weight but I feel; guilty because my weight tends to fluctuate by 0.5K or more during the week depending on how much I eat during the day really interested to learn that there is a scale that auto updates Zwift.