Can someone answer why we need the different categories? ZwiftPower - Login Please update your Zwift ID on the connection page to complete registration. for example,Read more . All rights reserved. Zwift is full of cheaters and thats not going to change now. Some weight dopers are obvious and blatant other times its much less egregious. Would achieve the same thing. As well as original reporting, news and feature writing, and production work, Daniel also runs The Leadout newsletter and oversees How to Watch guides throughout the season. 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. I put my real weight 95% of the time. I am about to hit the four year mark on Zwift. How come I get beat in sprints when a 60kg guy puts out 700W, when I put out over 1000W at 76kg? Context, Tim, context! . We can name and shame these few. At all. 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? All this makes me laugh. I agree WTRL ZRL races dont feel like they have cheaters. Im older heavier and relativily fit. 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. It lets Zwift racers and race organisers track results and check out all the details of the races they've participated in, as well as monitoring and analysing their data. I have a Withings scale and in the Zwift Settings, it shows up as connected. 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. This raised concerns within the Zwift Racing Community regarding fairness in racing. If its not done during a competitive Zwift event, I dont see it as a problem. its only cheating myself, instead I would prefer to spend that 2 painful hours doing something honestly and feel proud of it than zooming through it in sub 60m and not reap the same benefits (or in my case, pain). 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. I do ZHR Masters on a Tuesday night. I have long ago earned all of the challenges and levels. Any thoughts on verifying? I know its just virtual but my godi hope they enjoy their lies. Im the opposite. 2022 SNOW Sprint Series Fact ! In IRL there is a double draft. You should do much better at your actual weight in that case. Monthly weigh ins arent perfect but they are better than no weigh ins. On Zwift, weight dopers seek to gain an advantage by entering a lower-than-life weight into their Zwift profile. As an ambitioned A Racer with no smart scale, I stick to the higher end of the spectrum when setting my Zwift weight once a week. Actually no, sorry, I was wrong. Some races (many, in fact) on Zwift work exactly like that. 0.5kg discrepancy either side is actually quite small. I have been cycling since I was a kid and now close to 50.
ZwiftPower FAQ - Zwift Support I think one of the biggest issues with weight (and height) in Zwift is that you get punished really hard for something you only have limited control over. Put simply, ZwiftPower is a community-driven website that complements the Zwift app.
Updating Your Public Profile - Zwift Or weight bonuses for completing events that last for a set amount of days or even hours. 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. Just short of my 68th birthday I still dont see any point in cheating. It certainly didnt feel like I had taken it easy when IRead more . Some people, I think, just have a lower HR. I may try it just to see what difference it makes. I use Zwift to get in shape and prepare for outside riding. Bump your Zwift weight up to 84kg and even with your new and improved 260-watt FTP youre only at 3.1 w/kg! I once made myself much heavier so I could compete against my 11-year-old son in a head to head Zwift climbing race. Why not ride to your strengths? 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.
ZwiftPower Height & Weight Changes Postponed | Zwift Insider 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.
Zwift How-to: Choose Your Cycling Race Category 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!!). My 3.9w/kg (a new PR!) I am always passed by everyone on the way up but can usually catch up on the way down (190cm/93kg). In some cases this even happens unfairly. Once you have a number for your FTP in watts, divide it by your weight in kilograms. But for most riders watts per kilo rules the day, determining which category you race in Zwift. My guess is that another reason some do it, is because it gives you points on zwiftpower, becauseRead more . I agree Paul great idea. On a tablet or smartphone, you can download the. 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. It just makes a mockery of the whole system. BA1 1UA. I am a long time racer in NorCal and cheating is cheating. If youre a 300-pound dude who wants to go a little faster uphill as a virtual 200 pounder, have at it. 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.. I have climbed well and I have suffered on climbs but also sprinted well. If so, that makes sense to me and I can absolutely see the point of that. If I get down to 52 kilos I can climb well but my sprinting is terrible. Zwift Insider is independent of Zwift corporate (www.zwift.com), although Zwift does provide funding to help defray site costs. People with eating disorders, or a proclivity toward extreme dieting. (I dont recommend this approach, but it proves the point that weight doping is an issue that concerns many Zwift racers. Frankly I struggle to believe these are real. 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). So I just bumped myself up to the B group and went faster overall simply because there were faster people to draft off of. People still rode at B level pace in a C group. Exactly, although As arent that regulated, unless you hit the premier class, which is a very small section of A riders. The only trouble is the downhill doesnt take as long of course, so the light advantage is obviously better. For the time being, height and weight will remain visible on ZwiftPower. But many people (including myself) prefer categorized races because we want to have a chance to actually battle it out for a win. Same reason there are categories and age group races outdoors! If I were to drop say a kg obviously the watts required would not change to keep at the speed of the group andRead more , Youll go faster at a lighter weight on the flats. I am 65 kg with FTP of 270 W, which equlas 4,15 w/kg. 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. 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? There are two ways to do this. Daniel Ostanek is production editor at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired as staff writer. Yes thats completely unacceptable, you should never be at a disadvantage at any time in your life, just as your mother raised you. I agree with your idea. IRL if your weight is 85kg, itll take you longer to climb the Ventoux than if your weight is 65. As far as my weight goes the only thing I care about is being as accurate as I can to get accurate results. Response to our post as well as Zwifts own post in their forum were resoundingly negative from members of the Zwift racing community. 1. Nailed it. Using your Mac or PC, you can do it online on the Zwift website. Unless a youth rider, height is generally going to remain the same. In order to ride with him I have to drop my weight to allow me to keep up. 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. Problem solved! On a flat ride I would beat every sub 60kg cat B rider too. Category systems are complex beasts, of course, I agree, people can have fun with weight doping and such aslong they dont enter competitive races. Hardly true Say you train and commit yourself to being honest to achieve better fitness,and also better results, albeit virtually..then someone finishes better than you solely because of the BS numbers they entered. 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. Blaming Zwift for allowing cheaters is the system problem that gets more people frustrated, upset, etc. I am 42 years-old with a HRmax of ~169 bpm. Included with this license agreement can be the approval to show height and weight. Certainly it impacts the accuracy of race performance and results. Youd think theyd be the same but when Zwift and Strava dont even agree on stats for the same ride, Ill take any other comparisons with a big pinch of salt. That gives me more hope for the future of the platform than any announcement from Zwift ever could. But since there are no clear rules on it at this time, its a bit of a self-policing thing with a fair amount of grey area. 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. below this level you just have to take people's word for it. Cheapest Zwift setup: Everything to help you onto Zwift for the first time Id be super interested in the timing you set your weight. I recently won a C race, but it didnt feel like winning as I knew there were 2 categories faster. Now head back to ZwiftPower, click 'Connect' at the top of the page, then enter your Zwift ID in the box when prompted. Race them if you want, but Rides like Tour de Zwift are not based on rider category, they are based on distance. I rode outside last night, and Im sure I will again soon. 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. Totally agree with you. EDIT Found my answer: 250w, Theres a chart about halfway down this page: https://zwiftpower.com/viewtopic.php?f=68&t=5528. I now know of over 20 category D zwift users that have said theyre not going to bother with the Zwift races anymore. 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. Once I hit 185 its either sit up and catch my breath of fall of the bike. Im surprised that (off wheel) smart trainers dont have the ability to weigh the rider when they get on the bike. Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts. 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. When you're in the game, click "Menu". I havent even used my road bike outdoors since 2012. 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. Maybe they should display and categorise HR as a %age? Zwift essentially encourages people to be less than truthful about their weight. There could be Zwift level weight bonuses instead of another pair of socks. it's a good training tool. My 3 race FTP is at 4.07w/kg (248w @ 61kg), but Im still in Cat B. Im sure it happens, but I would guess its pretty rare certainly less of a problem than normal weight doping. Food for thought. 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. I know Ive done it!
Updating Your Privacy Settings in Zwift Companion Ive been on a mission to get back to my racing weight in 2020. If you are on the lighter side, try picking some climbing races. If you need to cheat to get the results you want then why even bother. If I feel happy in my body thats the most important thing for me, and why I rarely weigh myself. First, you need to sign up for an account. My last ride I spotted 35kg lad who last week was 56kg. Racing the As resp. The issues with e-racing remain the same, and largely ignored for years now. I mean I never lied about my weight, I am a very light rider working and eating hard to get some extra pounds.
ZwiftPower: Your ultimate guide | Cyclingnews The other race, events, and activities are needed to display that data. 5x5min, 4x8min but definitely never longer than 8 minutes. If there are problems, Zwift already has a reporting function and everything is recorded police that properly andRead more . If other people want to obsess about my weight thats up to them but I wont. Case in point: in the A race I mentioned, only one rider was heavier than my 85kg dad bod. 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. It does not stop cheating at all. . Whats the cheaters solution? I mean youve both got a point. We would like to thank the community for your passion and feedback. If the categories are split using purely w/kg a lighter rider doesnt have any advantage up the climbs at all. I was going flat out the whole race, and by no means cruising along watching my watts. 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. Its more fun and engaging that way, for me at least. Work over time is work over time. Contribute a post, shop through us, make a donation, advertise on this site. That is pretty low compared to most people on zwiftpower. This afternoon, Zwift posted a follow-up message on the forum. (Same effect in a sprint, just harder to isolate). Hi Using HRM is difficult as well as you max HRM changes with age mine is 159 flat out but I am over 60. I rarely race, don't care. I should mention: many Zwifters have lied about their in-game weight for perfectly acceptable reasons. You do you. 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. I still have no sprint kick so Im never winning anything anyway. You can record your weight n height n have it verified by experts etc up to five minutes before an event. 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.
Change weight in Zwift Power - General Discussion - Zwift Forums More of an issue than thisRead more . Or are you looking for a participation trophy on every race as well? Have you considered age category racing. 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. As others have said, your higher weight helps on flat courses. there's a million and 1 reasons why it is not a legitimate sport. Since strava is all that matters of course. 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. Good question.
Zwift How-To: Adjusting Your Trainer Difficulty | Zwift Whilst this might be the case, as Eric implies in flat races light weight riders have to work harder to stay in touch with the heavier riders in the bunch. The bottom line is that in any competition there will always be someone who wants to cheat to win.Read more . 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 . So I dont expect to be as competitive vs. a pure cyclist. Last week I jumped into my first race and it was at the last minute on a whim because I was getting tired of my training ride. stop worrying about whatRead more . angels stadium covid rules. Race specific phase: 3x10min 50-60rpm intervals with . 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 :) 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 . 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. (Example: if your FTP is 300 watts and you weigh 75kg, your FTP w/kg would be 300/75, or 4 w/kg.). Living at 5,900 ft. adds a performance restriction on me, I get it. Blaming Zwift for eating disorders is not sensible. 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. You'll receive a four-digit code, which you'll then have to add to your last name back in your Zwift settings (you can change it back after the process is completed). We are taking an iterative approach to the ongoing upgrades to the back end of the site. And one cheater leads to another and its an arms race of gaming the game. Sure, easy! 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.