You do you. 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 . Some people are clearly living in a fantasy on zwift. It certainly didnt feel like I had taken it easy when IRead more . 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. 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. (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). However, I do understand Kens point. Now head back to ZwiftPower, click 'Connect' at the top of the page, then enter your Zwift ID in the box when prompted. How do I get started on Zwift? 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. Im older heavier and relativily fit. The Tour de Zwift events this year were much moreRead more , Wait. 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. 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. I completely agree with the last paragraph here. In some cases this even happens unfairly. So I dont expect to be as competitive vs. a pure cyclist. This is how racing is supposed to work. Im in the same boat. Future state can add a nominal cost to said license to support clean racing via Zwift tech updates. either a) ur starting ur sprint way too late or b) ur leading him out. But youre not affecting anyone elses experience. Keep writing this sort of thing. Check out this FAQ for some of our frequently asked questions: Q:&. I just we had a better system than category limits, racing license anybody? Hi Using HRM is difficult as well as you max HRM changes with age mine is 159 flat out but I am over 60. The first way is to head into your profile. I have long ago earned all of the challenges and levels. Would love your thoughts, please comment. My power to weight is decent at about 4w/kg. Zwift Insider is independent of Zwift corporate (www.zwift.com), although Zwift does provide funding to help defray site costs. It just makes a mockery of the whole system. There was a problem. All lists are full of 190cm lads weighting 65kgs. On a flat ride I would beat every sub 60kg cat B rider too. Im 70 inches tall and 156 pounds right now vs 166lb on Jan 1. Hitting G on your keyboard will do it, or swipe up on iPhone or iPad, etc then tap the graph button. So I just bumped myself up to the B group and went faster overall simply because there were faster people to draft off of. 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. As long as people are using reasonable weight/height and arent cheating or changing it drastically all the time (my scales autoupdate my weight, so mine changes once a day, but by small increments), Im much more interested in being able to see the weight of my teammates so I can properly plan my TTT lineup than I am the weight of my competitors. I put my real weight 95% of the time. Current system means that heavy weight top of cat riders climb at the same speed as skinny guys with same wpk but can have 60% more power on the flats. Is a very strong rider for his age and trains hard. The issues with e-racing remain the same, and largely ignored for years now. Tough to recover after attacks in a race when youre always near maxing out. But what exactly is ZwiftPower and how does it work? Zwift should offer a Validated Racer package for a slight premium over normal membership. 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. People with eating disorders, or a proclivity toward extreme dieting. Exactly, although As arent that regulated, unless you hit the premier class, which is a very small section of A riders. I am alleging that weight cheating is endemic in zwift, especially among those who care about winning. hanging with the front group is very though for me because i am exactly at the bridge between A and B. I use Zwift to get in shape and prepare for outside riding. Incrasing virtual weight would probaly downgrade me to B again. w/kg is partially based on real world physics. 0.5kg discrepancy either side is actually quite small. 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 . 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. Why dont you start self-regulating then? That is pretty low compared to most people on zwiftpower. Taking weight out of the equation you could just make everyones avatar moving forward by holding down the up arrow on their keyboard. Keep it on. A strict w/kg classification isnt perfect. I dont think it can all be attributed to weight; it appears that some hardware tweaks can scale up the reported power output. 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. 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. Included with this license agreement can be the approval to show height and weight. I have wondered about this subject on a few occasions. 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. 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. Cyclingnews is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Can someone answer why we need the different categories? I have seen riders weighting 56 kgs and week later they are 35 kgs. At all. BA1 1UA. 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. Or theyll ignore leaders instructions and ride off the front of a group (flyers). 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. 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 Yes, but hopefully the system would be designed so, if drop a category then begin doing well, you get upgraded again! Or weight bonuses for completing events that last for a set amount of days or even hours. Zwift Insider is independent of Zwift corporate (www.zwift.com), although Zwift does provide funding to help defray site costs. How come I get beat in sprints when a 60kg guy puts out 700W, when I put out over 1000W at 76kg? Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts. 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. Eric runs Zwift Insider in his spare time when he isn't on the bike or managing various business interests. There is no progression from lower to higher categories through placement. A good portion of that weight difference is in the Hub's 10.3 . This is pretty timely for me as my FTP is 283 and my weight is currently 71.2kg. EZ and self regulating. 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. (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 other race, events, and activities are needed to display that data. 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). All the emphasis on physical metrics makes sense for putting together how speed is calculated but not how one can race. I take issue with the weight doping is okay in none competitive events because of strava. Just sign up for A races from now on. I rarely race, don't care. Im glad you wrote about this. I once made myself much heavier so I could compete against my 11-year-old son in a head to head Zwift climbing race. i was just having a similar discussion with my old lady about watts and weights, etc. If Zwift can be seen to be doing that then very little need toRead more . I have a Withings scale and in the Zwift Settings, it shows up as connected. We may call it sandbagging or reversed weight doping but its legal . plain and simple. Why try to force IRL parameters that can not be enforced. Maybe they should display and categorise HR as a %age? Whatever your answer, some people will never like it, but there has to be a clear, credible answer for the majority to support. If I lose 1 more pound Ill go to 4.0 and its a daunting thing to think of going to As when I am often cruddy in the Bs. 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. I have been light and I have been heavy. Thats hilarious. But I also did it because I knew it was great practice! Shame I cant edit my post for the horrendous spelling and autocorrect gaffes. Racing the As resp. Heres an idea: Take weigh out of the equation. When you're in the game, click "Menu". Keep hammering the point and finding ways that Zwift can improve controls. Race specific phase: 3x10min 50-60rpm intervals with . . Yet the lesson is clear if you want to win, even on flat courses, have or claim a very low weight. Im the opposite. Additionally, well be moving forward on hiding height and weight from Zwift Companion and Web. ThatRead more . As such, we have agreed to pause this change while we develop tools that deliver greater transparency to Zwift racing while promoting wellness. As for the weight, I weight 190lbs, (86Ks) I put in 190lbs. Zwift excessively rewards the athlete for being light and small. 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. I have heard women admit on social rides that their zwift weight is their goal weightRead more . Is it doping though? My IRL time and my Zwift time are almost the same. Im using a quarq crank power meter on my rock and roll while I save up for direct drive. I got my 100kph badge on the Bologna course. 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. I am currently 145kg and have not experienced any bullying so far. 1. 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. For me its the most fun to see the progress I make on strava, new PR on climbs or on flats (hanging in on the back of a group) If I would lie about my weight I throw off my goals to Improve atleast make them near impossible for the coming time in the End I dont see the funRead more , I reversed dopped by mistake when I first started Zwift putting my height as my weight and weight as my height. All rights reserved. yes, but you are missing my point. Well Eric, my weight is plummeting, and Ill probably be taking a break from Zwift over the summer, so Im sure the upgrade is coming very soon!!! Id be super interested in the timing you set your weight. If you were to meet meRead more . Racers who get top 1,2,3 more than a few times get upgraded period. 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. As others have said, your higher weight helps on flat courses. Yes, smaller riders have less frontal area, but the difference in CdA isnt that much. Have you considered age category racing. They are not, and never were, skill classes of any kind (ie. are clay hart and sally flynn still married; composite chart 12th house; tupperware party points; st francis of assisi school jobs This community-driven site is maintained by Eric Schlange and a team of Zwift enthusiasts. If I get down to 52 kilos I can climb well but my sprinting is terrible. How do you actually update your weight on ZP?? You enter a real race,out in the world, you are ready to finish in the top 20 for your best result of your life,then out of the blue a dirt bike rides past you goes tabletop and crossesRead more . IfRead more . I agree Paul great idea. If its a big hill, well then w/kg has us equalised. 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 think a once-weekly weigh-in is acceptable. Mike, Great article as ever Eric. If thats the norm, then I really dont see theRead more . I was told that was possible but I couldnt see how. Obviously, these are generally accepted rules in the Zwift Community. Or are you looking for a participation trophy on every race as well? Just like the CEO promised us rowing years ago, right? angels stadium covid rules. Daniel Ostanek is production editor at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired as staff writer. 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. Then weigh yourself, and open Zwift, and see if it reflects the change. The algorithms very much help heavier riders in descents, which gets forgotten when all we discuss is climbing. If there are problems, Zwift already has a reporting function and everything is recorded police that properly andRead more . I disagree with you on this point. .Personally I one of the outliers on height and weight. 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. Im 170cm and currently 61kg with an ideal triathlon racing weight of 59kg. Otherwise I stand by my comment. (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 . The six-digit number highlighted in bold will be your Zwift ID. My W/Kg has gone from 3.76 to 3.97 without me really improving my FTP. Adjusting Difficulty Before Your Workout. You will receive a verification email shortly. Not too many people actually want to see other peoples height or weight except to be able to verify race results are reasonable. 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. How many cyclists do you see in real life who are 65kgs, but they are ten a penny on Zwift. In spectacular and shocking fashion. 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 . I wouldnt personally do it since it throws off training metrics and just isnt true. Zwift doesnt like this and disqualifies him on Zwift power. Weight doping is only a serious issue when its done in competition. Hes asking for a fair race. Then everyone would know who is legit or at least somewhat legit. I started started zwift four months ago as a retirement present to myself. Next up is the most finicky part of the process finding your Zwift ID in order to connect your accounts. My 3.9w/kg (a new PR!) Other than that, I rarely look at weight unless some results are very weird. I dont think any of my shorter (under 5ft10) running or cycling friends weights more than that. As a low to mid-cat rider, ImRead more . 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. Privacy Policy, How to Race on Zwift (Setup, Strategy, and More). You should do much better at your actual weight in that case. The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox! Its a huge problem. EDIT Found my answer: 250w, Theres a chart about halfway down this page: https://zwiftpower.com/viewtopic.php?f=68&t=5528. 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?. But I get beaten by lots of other zwifters, even on flat courses. 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. Response to our post as well as Zwifts own post in their forum were resoundingly negative from members of the Zwift racing community. There is no cat C rider at 58kg who has a hope in hell of beating me in any race. 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. It is obviously a stupid thing ( weight doping) and why a rider would do this is beyond me but pride and quasi Strava bragging or Zwift Power bragging is a thing. 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. We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices. 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 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. That's pretty straightforward the usual email, username, password, terms and conditions so you won't have any trouble with this step. 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. Great article, Eric. it's a good training tool. My 3 race FTP is at 4.07w/kg (248w @ 61kg), but Im still in Cat B. 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). Since strava is all that matters of course. Chip on the shoulder there or what? In real life, Id dust that guy. 2022 SNOW Sprint Series 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. Email zwiftpower@zwift.com if you want to reset everything. 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). People can be far to either direction im 25 and my max that I have hit is 217. 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. 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. I think he is referring to the 2021 Haute Route GC (or lack thereof), Sorry, thats right, it was the Haute Route 2021 events. however 2 riders at the same w/kg, heavier riders have the advantage on flats & descents: https://zwiftinsider.com/wkg-tests/. It's a bit more complicated than most website sign-ups, but now you'll be all ready to get started. Also a really frustrating thing is why doesnt Zwift autoRead more , is he riding in the right category? ), You say at the end..you do you, it doesnt affect anyone. otherwise no way in hell hes beating you. I agree WTRL ZRL races dont feel like they have cheaters. ZwiftPower FAQ We're sure you have several questions about ZwiftPower and what it is. But it highlights a bigger problem, and that is the fundamental flaw of using watts per kilo for race categorization. IRead more , Aaron, do you know what is the wattage requirement for Cat A? Then save your ride and log out. 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. Living at 5,900 ft. adds a performance restriction on me, I get it. Once I hit 185 its either sit up and catch my breath of fall of the bike. 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. 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. See how you can support Zwift Insider! The book Fast After 50 is a good read on how masters athletes can train more effectively. I dont mind the low HRs but the low power and high w/kg really irk me! 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.. If people want to cheat, they will and can do so in any uncontrolled situation. Most of my ZwiftRead 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. Have you considered drinking during a race? And atRead more . ZwiftPower use 95% of your best 20 minutes during the whole race, so it does not matter if the race is 21 min or 3 hours, you will still be categorized the same way. 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. This is real frustrating as hes a top u12 racer and wants to see his efforts recognise. 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 lets you adjust the difficulty of your workout, before or even during your ride. 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. 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!!). If you set your weight high enough that you fail to do well you will drop in the categories. Ill remain skeptical until I see some actual changes. 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. 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. 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.

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