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 . 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. This site contains affiliate links to Amazon, Wahoo, and other brands. . 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. 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. Just the fact that you need a third party (ZP) to validate race results really says it all. My IRL time and my Zwift time are almost the same. Unless a youth rider, height is generally going to remain the same. ), You say at the end..you do you, it doesnt affect anyone. Login Required The Zwift Engineering team is focused on improving security for ZwiftPower users. Im the opposite. I did on one and second on the other. Sandbagging is pointless if winning means youre going to move up (unless you want to take 3 months off after your win. Everyone races at the same weight/height. I started started zwift four months ago as a retirement present to myself. I am currently 145kg and have not experienced any bullying so far. Withings scale that automatically updates your Zwift weight, a month ago in the final post of my race category series, https://smartscalesync.com/?utm_source=tr, https://zwiftpower.com/viewtopic.php?f=68&t=5528, https://zwiftinsider.com/how-does-zwift-calculate-my-speed/, Zwift x UCI To Host Cycling Events for the Olympic Esports Series 2023, Race London ZRacing March Series Details, Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of March 4-5. nothing more. stop worrying about whatRead more . But youre training and racing and getting stronger, and eventually your FTP improves to 260 watts, which is 3.25 w/kg. Yes us heavier riders have the downhill advantage definitely. 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 bottom line is that in any competition there will always be someone who wants to cheat to win.Read more . But then you could have someone in the same age group who maxes out at 170. Im more concerned about the guy who finished 5th with 144bpm. There is no progression from lower to higher categories through placement. I know Ive done it! 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. Im using a quarq crank power meter on my rock and roll while I save up for direct drive. For the time being, height and weight will remain visible on ZwiftPower. As such, we have agreed to pause this change while we develop tools that deliver greater transparency to Zwift racing while promoting wellness. I recently won a C race, but it didnt feel like winning as I knew there were 2 categories faster. however 2 riders at the same w/kg, heavier riders have the advantage on flats & descents: https://zwiftinsider.com/wkg-tests/. His favourite races are Strade Bianche and the Volta a Portugal, and he rides a Colnago C40. Generally weigh myself once a month. I have no idea. In some cases this even happens unfairly. Read on for our guide on how the app works, how to get set up, and how to analyse your racing. Most of my ZwiftRead more . The guy who got first weighs 106kg on strava but 45kg and only 411 on zwift. would that be cheating then ? 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. If it still doesn't work email zwiftpower@zwift.com and they should be able to sort. Why not ride to your strengths? It's a real community hub. I think Im just heavier than my competition. Zwift Insider is independent of Zwift corporate (www.zwift.com), although Zwift does provide funding to help defray site costs. Now you'll have to head over to ZwiftPower.com and register there. Have you considered drinking during a race? Exactly. Yes, smaller riders have less frontal area, but the difference in CdA isnt that much. What particularly annoys me is being beaten by light but moderately powerful riders doing individual time trials on flat courses. ZwiftPower: Your ultimate guide | Cyclingnews Great drafting skills!, Heres the thing: I probably am a fairly efficient racer, when I want to be. Why can we just all race together and the fastest person wins? 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. Im sure it happens, but I would guess its pretty rare certainly less of a problem than normal weight doping. A recent Crit City A Race is a very good example of this: I finished in the front pack, sprinting it out for 9th place. nothing less. Zwift Insider is independent of Zwift corporate (www.zwift.com), although Zwift does provide funding to help defray site costs. 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. .Personally I one of the outliers on height and weight. Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts. 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. It just makes a mockery of the whole system. Since we know that lighter weight=higher virtual speed, this is a very easy way to cheat the system on Zwift. Thanks! 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. Or weight bonuses for completing events that last for a set amount of days or even hours. 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. Is it doping though? Race them if you want, but Rides like Tour de Zwift are not based on rider category, they are based on distance. I have to say I weigh myself most mornings in the buff (just my glasses on so I can see the numbers)! 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. There was a problem. It this fair? Once I hit 185 its either sit up and catch my breath of fall of the bike. 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). Same reason there are categories and age group races outdoors! Either these racers need to calibrate the trainer or they are sandbagging big time. Zwif: your ultimate guide Case in point: in the A race I mentioned, only one rider was heavier than my 85kg dad bod. In theory (at least) weight dopers could game the results based categories as well. 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. Im older heavier and relativily fit. 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. 2022 Primr RWB League - Cycling Ireland eRacing Winter League. 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. 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. Everything you need to know about the third-party Zwift results and analysis website. 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. 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. A thank you to Zwift HQ for listening to the feedback from the racing community and taking action. Note how he wins races while his max HR is around 30 beats below his maximum. Would love your thoughts, please comment. The issues with e-racing remain the same, and largely ignored for years now. Eric runs Zwift Insider in his spare time when he isn't on the bike or managing various business interests. Makes me happy to see that the community is able to speak with one voice if necessary. 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. That is pretty low compared to most people on zwiftpower. Why you can trust Cyclingnews Yet the lesson is clear if you want to win, even on flat courses, have or claim a very low weight. either a) ur starting ur sprint way too late or b) ur leading him out. Keep it on. 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. If people want to cheat, they will and can do so in any uncontrolled situation. However, I was able to navigate to the settings page by doing the following. Hahahahaha. How do you actually update your weight on ZP?? 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. In real life, Id dust that guy. See how you can support Zwift Insider! A good portion of that weight difference is in the Hub's 10.3 . The default position is midway between "Off" and "Max," or 50 percent of the grade resistance you'd find while riding the same grade of hill in the real world. Ive connected my garmin scale with this app https://smartscalesync.com/?utm_source=tr ZwiftPower FAQ We're sure you have several questions about ZwiftPower and what it is. I have just accepted that at my height I will always be heavier than the average cyclist. 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 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. As Zwift racer James Eastwood so aptly put it, The community dont want to see peoples weight they want fair racing.. It will not eliminate this behavior but the races will be much more realistic and enjoyable. So I just bumped myself up to the B group and went faster overall simply because there were faster people to draft off of. Launch Zwift and go to the Menu. (I dont recommend this approach, but it proves the point that weight doping is an issue that concerns many Zwift racers. You must be a much better person than me, because thats something I will Never make peace with. Exactly, although As arent that regulated, unless you hit the premier class, which is a very small section of A riders. Just from riding regularly I went from 166 FTP to 187 in 800 miles over a 2 1/2 months. Are you efficient, or just heavy? If you're putting out enough power, then you can make your way up the ranks and keep on racing. Hi, very impressive w/kg at 65. 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. Hopefully ZHQ will take a harder look the changes that have been proposed over the past year or so. Well, imagine youre a strong C racer. Yes, we need to be categorized by our race ranking, not power. This is real frustrating as hes a top u12 racer and wants to see his efforts recognise. How do you change rider weight? - Zwift Forums Leave the setting unchanged and climbs often feel challenging. If Zwift can be seen to be doing that then very little need toRead more . You'll receive a four-digit code, which you'll then have to add to your. As a 96kg, 51 year old with an FTP of 317 and a resting HR of about 48 (and a theoretical maximum HR of 174) Im not sure why my lower HR during an event should seen as suspicious. We really like the sound of this: 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. It's a bit more complicated than most website sign-ups, but now you'll be all ready to get started. Then lets stop with all athletic competition! I completely missed these as I reinvented the wheel, trying to stir up the hornets nest on the Zwift forums the other day. I did this because I had a particular effort level planned for my workout that day, and didnt want to exceed it. Even some of the regulated weight rides will give 2kg leeway. As others have said, your higher weight helps on flat courses. The other race, events, and activities are needed to display that data. We are taking an iterative approach to the ongoing upgrades to the back end of the site. In fact, you can change a workout on Zwift about as fast as you can U-turn a bicycle on a real hill. 240W 50kg riders (4.8W/kg) beat 380W 95kg riders in B category Tempus Fugit time trials. 2.5w/kg (215Watts) is hard for me to hold for extended periods but I keep trying. Connecting to ZwiftPower Before you can start using ZwiftPower, you'll need to create an account. Well, its adding weight to gain an advantage. Would depend entirely upon the bike geometry, how much weight is over the front wheel and how much over the back. More of an issue than thisRead more . Frustrating to someone who tries so hard to compete in my weight class to get beat by cheaters. It doesnt appear that people are abiding by the categories. Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. I never thought i should weigh myself with my kit on. I rarely race, don't care. Its ridiculous. Some people, I think, just have a lower HR. The COVID-19 lockdown period, now in its third month around the world, has seen an unprecedented boom in virtual cycling. Just like the CEO promised us rowing years ago, right? Your voice is important to us. This site contains affiliate links to Amazon, Wahoo, and other brands. I use Zwift to get in shape and prepare for outside riding. That a cat rider may win a d race but on zwiftpower they will be DQd for not riding an A race. Weight doping is only a serious issue when its done in competition. Theres also fitnesssyncer.com that is free up to 4 sync services. 2 Likes _Jynxy_EVO (:)) October 1, 2021, 1:41pm #8 thxs mike, Mate youre a legend. I never reverse weight doped. If there are problems, Zwift already has a reporting function and everything is recorded police that properly andRead more . (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 . 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 . Maybe also add weight change limit 2kg per week? First, it shows that theyre listening to the community. Click on the Settings button and you'll find the Trainer Difficulty slider. Since strava is all that matters of course. 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 do find it amazing, funny and sad that IRL at several Ironman events me, a C rider, beat many A riders in the cycling segment. There is enough variation in power profile to make it interesting without weight, what makes racing fun is trying to create tactics that favour yourRead more , Interesting & well reasoned article which answers a lot of things which were puzzling me. Updating Your Public Profile - Zwift How many cyclists do you see in real life who are 65kgs, but they are ten a penny on Zwift. But youre not affecting anyone elses experience. Keep answering that question and youll keep most people on side. In a race not in Zwift it is very easy for people to recongize who I am. 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? Find out more about how we test.