I now know of over 20 category D zwift users that have said theyre not going to bother with the Zwift races anymore. 2 yr. ago. As a low to mid-cat rider, ImRead more . Zwift Insider is independent of Zwift corporate (www.zwift.com), although Zwift does provide funding to help defray site costs. 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. I dont mind the low HRs but the low power and high w/kg really irk me! 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. 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). Whats the cheaters solution? I dont think it can all be attributed to weight; it appears that some hardware tweaks can scale up the reported power output. The rule set for the categories is so simple yet Id bet >99% dont understand it, to my knowledge cyclingRead more . Exactly. As long as youre being honest with yourself I wouldnt worry about it too much. 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. To change your profile to have to log in on the Zwift website and then edit the profile there. Nice work! Ride On. Share your thoughts below! look at the article. 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. Totally agree with you. The license would be needed to participate in ranked races, however if you dont have a license, other races would be available to participate in. Race specific phase: 3x10min 50-60rpm intervals with . Maybe with a KICKR Climb it might be possible. Put simply, ZwiftPower is a community-driven website that complements the Zwift app. Someone sandbagging will get promoted out of category and will not be allowed to reg for lower categories. 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. SoggyAlbatross2. There was a problem. (Its not the only part, of course! 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. Category systems are complex beasts, of course, I agree, people can have fun with weight doping and such aslong they dont enter competitive races. USA Cycling has categories that are based on experience and performance. 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 is independent of Zwift corporate (www.zwift.com), although Zwift does provide funding to help defray site costs. Its only a bit of fun at my level (solid B with the odd podium). Sandbagging is pointless if winning means youre going to move up (unless you want to take 3 months off after your win. I agree WTRL ZRL races dont feel like they have cheaters. 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. This is pretty timely for me as my FTP is 283 and my weight is currently 71.2kg. Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. There could be Zwift level weight bonuses instead of another pair of socks. Zwift lets you adjust the difficulty of your workout, before or even during your ride. Since strava is all that matters of course. Best turbo trainers: Smart trainers to improve your indoor cycling experience I may try it just to see what difference it makes. 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. Im glad you wrote about this. 2.5w/kg (215Watts) is hard for me to hold for extended periods but I keep trying. Or theyll ignore leaders instructions and ride off the front of a group (flyers). Have you ever compared numbers for calories burned, power output and even elevation ridden for a Zwift ride uploaded to Strava? I dont know why this is, but i dont care one bit if people are cheating. 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. The COVID-19 lockdown period, now in its third month around the world, has seen an unprecedented boom in virtual cycling. , 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. That's pretty straightforward the usual email, username, password, terms and conditions so you won't have any trouble with this step. Im using a quarq crank power meter on my rock and roll while I save up for direct drive. In some cases this even happens unfairly. How I got faster in Triathlon | Medium Yes, but hopefully the system would be designed so, if drop a category then begin doing well, you get upgraded again! Not sure why its hard for you to believe that there are a lot of riders under 70kgs. What is that!?! 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. Updating Your Public Profile - Zwift however 2 riders at the same w/kg, heavier riders have the advantage on flats & descents: https://zwiftinsider.com/wkg-tests/. there's a million and 1 reasons why it is not a legitimate sport. Plus imagine how bigRead more . As Ive posted elsewhere, I like having weight available at my fingertips so I can use it to plan the TTT rotation (I like going heavy/light/heavy/light to avoid the big guys pulling away on flats/descents or the little guys pulling away on climbs, plus one category of rider tends to get exhausted on any given route if I plan my pull times incorrectly, so its nice not having 2 people in a row suddenly need to skip a pull). 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. Response to our post as well as Zwifts own post in their forum were resoundingly negative from members of the Zwift racing community. 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. i was just having a similar discussion with my old lady about watts and weights, etc. 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. 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. My guess is that another reason some do it, is because it gives you points on zwiftpower, becauseRead more . Yes, we need to be categorized by our race ranking, not power. how do i change my weight on zwift power - popupafrica.com Is it doping though? stop worrying about whatRead more . The only place where being heavy helps is on the decent, which are almost all short (except Ventoux and Alpe de Zwift), and as a heavy guy (85kgs) I need to recover on the decent. Here it is in its entirety: Last week we outlined a number of planned changes to address harassment and further safeguard the health and wellbeing of the Zwift Community. 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. 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. 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. In fact, the only riders at or below my w/kg were minutes off the back. That was my first thought when a fellow Zwifter commented on my recent race, Somehow you always get your w/kg down. (Example: if your FTP is 300 watts and you weigh 75kg, your FTP w/kg would be 300/75, or 4 w/kg.). either a) ur starting ur sprint way too late or b) ur leading him out. But youre training and racing and getting stronger, and eventually your FTP improves to 260 watts, which is 3.25 w/kg. We mentioned categories earlier as one of the ways in which you can search through your results and statistics, but they're also a method by which you get sorted into races. Ive connected my garmin scale with this app https://smartscalesync.com/?utm_source=tr 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?. 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. It must be very hard to do with many, many lines of code to implement otherwise it wouldve been done by now, In reality these changes would not (will not) impact cheating. Their hr should also correspond, which they often dont. Enforce race category entry and youll fix much of the problems with Zwift racing. Next up is the most finicky part of the process finding your Zwift ID in order to connect your accounts. 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. Best Zwift setups: Indoor cycling setups to give you the competitive edge. Tough to recover after attacks in a race when youre always near maxing out. would that be cheating then ? If you are on the lighter side, try picking some climbing races. 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. But I will, and Ill get hammered and hopefully improve. You only change it in Zwift and it should get picked up with regular backend processing periodically (maybe overnight). 5x5min, 4x8min but definitely never longer than 8 minutes. Level 50. 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 did this because I had a particular effort level planned for my workout that day, and didnt want to exceed it. All rights reserved. Zwift How-to: Choose Your Cycling Race Category I was going flat out the whole race, and by no means cruising along watching my watts. w/kg is partially based on real world physics. Have you considered age category racing. My power to weight ratio would be the same, but Id get the benefits you get from being a heavier rider. Eric runs Zwift Insider in his spare time when he isn't on the bike or managing various business interests. I have a Withings scale and in the Zwift Settings, it shows up as connected. 240W 50kg riders (4.8W/kg) beat 380W 95kg riders in B category Tempus Fugit time trials. Email zwiftpower@zwift.com if you want to reset everything. In a race not in Zwift it is very easy for people to recongize who I am. 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 . When I go outdoors I go on a trail bike and bring a backpack full of food and drink for a several hours ride. On Zwift, weight dopers seek to gain an advantage by entering a lower-than-life weight into their Zwift profile. 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. But then you could have someone in the same age group who maxes out at 170. What you see a lot are riders who are (claiming) to be really light with decent but not exceptional watts. 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. Noob question though, whats the etiquette around weighing with kit on or off. 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. Some weight dopers are obvious and blatant other times its much less egregious. I dont care anyway. IRL cycling pros are not exactly heavy weights and lean-ness is highly encouraged. You lose 10 liters of sweat during a medium long ride? Thanks! The book Fast After 50 is a good read on how masters athletes can train more effectively. are clay hart and sally flynn still married; composite chart 12th house; tupperware party points; st francis of assisi school jobs It does not stop cheating at all. 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. 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 . I have just accepted that at my height I will always be heavier than the average cyclist. 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. EDIT Found my answer: 250w, Theres a chart about halfway down this page: https://zwiftpower.com/viewtopic.php?f=68&t=5528. Taking weight out of the equation you could just make everyones avatar moving forward by holding down the up arrow on their keyboard. Terms of Use/DMCA Copyright Policy Its more fun and engaging that way, for me at least. I think Im just heavier than my competition. 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. Zwift essentially encourages people to be less than truthful about their weight. It's a real community hub. If youre a 300-pound dude who wants to go a little faster uphill as a virtual 200 pounder, have at it. 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. Ill remain skeptical until I see some actual changes. It all has to do with the way Zwifts racing categories work. IRL I am 85kgs and cant pretend to be 65kgs. That a cat rider may win a d race but on zwiftpower they will be DQd for not riding an A race. Other than that, I rarely look at weight unless some results are very weird. Now head back to ZwiftPower, click 'Connect' at the top of the page, then enter your Zwift ID in the box when prompted. I am a long time racer in NorCal and cheating is cheating. Which brings me to todays topic: reverse weight doping. My solution would make everyones chances equal, while yours would strongly favor heavy riders. People can be far to either direction im 25 and my max that I have hit is 217. 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. Riders weight will rise and fall but under normal circumstances within a range. Id say physics does! 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. How Do I Change My FTP On Zwift? MyRead more . Some people are clearly living in a fantasy on zwift. With Zwift control is difficult (in getting Zwifters to enter their accurate) wait. You weigh 80kg and have an FTP of 248 watts, which works out to 3.1 w/kg. Or are you looking for a participation trophy on every race as well? It's possible to check just about any kind of Zwift result using ZwiftPower, with the website sortable by leagues, race series and segments. 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. 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. ZwiftPower - Login (Example: if your FTP is 300 watts and you weigh 75kg, your FTP w/kg would be 300/75, or 4 w/kg.) This is real frustrating as hes a top u12 racer and wants to see his efforts recognise. Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. It does the job as described. There is no progression from lower to higher categories through placement. However, I do understand Kens point. I never thought i should weigh myself with my kit on. My FTP/kg is 3.88, which I now know would make me a B racer (3.2-3.9). How doRead more . I take issue with the weight doping is okay in none competitive events because of strava. Similar to the announcement of the European Super League in soccer, Zwift failed to read the room. Future state can add a nominal cost to said license to support clean racing via Zwift tech updates. . Reverse Weight Doping, Efficiency, and Race Categories on Zwift Once I hit 185 its either sit up and catch my breath of fall of the bike. 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? But it highlights a bigger problem, and that is the fundamental flaw of using watts per kilo for race categorization. nothing more. How does it work? It's also possible to filter results and data by categories, such as different age or power ranges. How-To: Adjusting the Difficulty of a Workout | Zwift He lives in Northern California with his beautiful wife, two kids and dog. Bikecalculator suggests not Go to http://bikecalculator.com/ enter an 85kg rider, riding on the drops for 16.2kms (ie an ITT) leaving all else unchanged. Read on for our guide on how the app works, how to get set up, and how to analyse your racing. 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 . I wont do and will rather try my very best to compete with the As. But without any hard and fast rules, we cant say anything is illegalat least for certain races. I still have no sprint kick so Im never winning anything anyway. Threshold HR is around 151 bpm. There is no cat C rider at 58kg who has a hope in hell of beating me in any race. In fact, you can change a workout on Zwift about as fast as you can U-turn a bicycle on a real hill. Hes not looking for a trophy every race. My IRL time and my Zwift time are almost the same. If you're putting out enough power, then you can make your way up the ranks and keep on racing. Hide the weight who cares let them upgrade all the way to As where you have strict reporting requirements. Zwif: your ultimate guide On Zwift Power categories have both a wattage requirement and a w/kg requirement. I currently weigh 59kgs but my BMI is 25 which technically overweight. Im surprised that (off wheel) smart trainers dont have the ability to weigh the rider when they get on the bike. This raised concerns within the Zwift Racing Community regarding fairness in racing.