Keep answering that question and youll keep most people on side. Last week we announced Zwifts plans to remove rider height and weight from ZwiftPower, among other changes (read the full post here). I know Ive done it! If its a big hill, well then w/kg has us equalised. I just got upgraded to CAT A according to zwiftpower. there's a million and 1 reasons why it is not a legitimate sport. Or theyll ignore leaders instructions and ride off the front of a group (flyers). Not too many people actually want to see other peoples height or weight except to be able to verify race results are reasonable. As some others already mentioned, the bodyweight tends to oscillate over the week and even the day. I am racing in the Cs finishing in the 40-50s but there are 30 + racers ahead of me posting watt/kilo of A, and strong B racers. ZwiftPower FAQ We're sure you have several questions about ZwiftPower and what it is. 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. Now in A i get dropped all the time. Thats hilarious. Just from riding regularly I went from 166 FTP to 187 in 800 miles over a 2 1/2 months. Good question. 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. I am always passed by everyone on the way up but can usually catch up on the way down (190cm/93kg). I think theres another more interesting angle than just trying to stay down a category. A good portion of that weight difference is in the Hub's 10.3 . That is pretty low compared to most people on zwiftpower. Fact ! Check out this FAQ for some of our frequently asked questions: Q:&. If so, that makes sense to me and I can absolutely see the point of that. Keep writing this sort of thing. Its going to take a certain amount of calories for a certain person to perform a given amount of work in a given time. I think Im just heavier than my competition. I just we had a better system than category limits, racing license anybody? Some people, I think, just have a lower HR. As far as my weight goes the only thing I care about is being as accurate as I can to get accurate results. 0.5kg discrepancy either side is actually quite small. Zwift lets you adjust the difficulty of your workout, before or even during your ride. That gives me more hope for the future of the platform than any announcement from Zwift ever could. Just sign up for A races from now on. 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). 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 it is.. someone must be able to point me to the rule where it says that it is forbidden..? 1 second per 1 km on the AdZ dowhill (after losing minutes going up it) is literally the only place in the game its beneficial and the IRL advantages on the flats over light riders is excessivelyRead more . also interesting about this equation are the: wattage data points and the zwift computations of W/Kg. Or are you looking for a participation trophy on every race as well? Either these racers need to calibrate the trainer or they are sandbagging big time. I dont know why this is, but i dont care one bit if people are cheating. But youre training and racing and getting stronger, and eventually your FTP improves to 260 watts, which is 3.25 w/kg. You will receive a verification email shortly. 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 . 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. Maybe also add weight change limit 2kg per week? This is especially true if you are trying to ride with riders you possibly know locally or otherwise. Nailed it. 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. At all. Especially for the C and D groups but even for the Bs albeit to a lesser degree. 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. Zwift essentially encourages people to be less than truthful about their weight. 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 been light and I have been heavy. Do you believe weight doping (reverse or otherwise) is a big problem in Zwift racing, and if so, what can be done about it? Hahahahaha. 2022 SNOW Sprint Series Response to our post as well as Zwifts own post in their forum were resoundingly negative from members of the Zwift racing community. 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. It will not eliminate this behavior but the races will be much more realistic and enjoyable. Put simply, ZwiftPower is a community-driven website that complements the Zwift app. Also a really frustrating thing is why doesnt Zwift autoRead more , is he riding in the right category? why because of weight, not power. What particularly annoys me is being beaten by light but moderately powerful riders doing individual time trials on flat courses. My FTP/kg is 3.88, which I now know would make me a B racer (3.2-3.9). You weigh 80kg and have an FTP of 248 watts, which works out to 3.1 w/kg. 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. I was just naturally heavy and it put me at the top of the C class in w/kg. I am about to hit the four year mark on Zwift. 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. With racer categories? ), You say at the end..you do you, it doesnt affect anyone. Last week I did the prl full and Uber pretzel and tried to get #1 by weight on those segments. My W/Kg has gone from 3.76 to 3.97 without me really improving my FTP. In IRL there is a double draft. Please refresh the page and try again. EZ and self regulating. In real life, Id dust that guy. I think he is referring to the 2021 Haute Route GC (or lack thereof), Sorry, thats right, it was the Haute Route 2021 events. I am 42 years-old with a HRmax of ~169 bpm. Frustrating to someone who tries so hard to compete in my weight class to get beat by cheaters. This would include preventing people from entering the wrong (too low) category, and multiple month suspensions (race events would not appear in that persons Zwift application event list, no ability to enter) for using a height or weight that cannot be verified, or miscalibration of a smart trainer. 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. I suffer from excess sweating and will easily lose 10kg in a race on Four Horseman, for example (although Im certainly not the norm, but to say no one is untrue). Context, Tim, context! If you gave the power, it will come out. But I will, and Ill get hammered and hopefully improve. Gain a few (virtual) pounds. Then everyone would know who is legit or at least somewhat legit. My power is often in the top few. I never reverse weight doped. Had assumed I just rode inefficiently. Tour de Zwift events were races? If thats the norm, then I really dont see theRead more . You must be a much better person than me, because thats something I will Never make peace with. 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 . I have seen riders weighting 56 kgs and week later they are 35 kgs. 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. hanging with the front group is very though for me because i am exactly at the bridge between A and B. Ugh! yea but realistically is it worth it for them to dedicate the resources to that $$$$$$$, Well, thats good news. Once you have a number for your FTP in watts, divide it by your weight in kilograms. 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. 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. Id say physics does! A strict w/kg classification isnt perfect. As for the weight, I weight 190lbs, (86Ks) I put in 190lbs. Hes asking for a fair race. Plus imagine how bigRead more . Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. But many people (including myself) prefer categorized races because we want to have a chance to actually battle it out for a win. Some people are clearly living in a fantasy on zwift. You only change it in Zwift and it should get picked up with regular backend processing periodically (maybe overnight). 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. 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?. Great drafting skills!, Heres the thing: I probably am a fairly efficient racer, when I want to be. Shame I cant edit my post for the horrendous spelling and autocorrect gaffes. The algorithms very much help heavier riders in descents, which gets forgotten when all we discuss is climbing. Zwift is great just to ride around and it has lots of good training sessions which you can do. Terms of Use/DMCA Copyright Policy I mean I never lied about my weight, I am a very light rider working and eating hard to get some extra pounds. Riders weight will rise and fall but under normal circumstances within a range. My power to weight ratio would be the same, but Id get the benefits you get from being a heavier rider. How do I get started on Zwift? If youre a 300-pound dude who wants to go a little faster uphill as a virtual 200 pounder, have at it. That's it! Wow, cheating !! However, I have a lighter and faster son that smokes me head to head. Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. But maybe Im just thinking like a lady its hard for me to imagine a lady voluntarily gaining weight, even virtual weight. Heres an idea: Take weigh out of the equation. 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. 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. Im glad you wrote about this. 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! Click on the Settings button and you'll find the Trainer Difficulty slider. There's a forum, too, so that users can discuss ongoing race series, find out about upcoming events and have any queries answered and problems solved. This isnt IRL racing it is e-racing. They are not, and never were, skill classes of any kind (ie. Keep hammering the point and finding ways that Zwift can improve controls. Cheapest Zwift setup: Everything to help you onto Zwift for the first time You have lowered your weight and skewed your power graph so it is inaccurate. Or weight bonuses for completing events that last for a set amount of days or even hours. 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. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). As Zwift racer James Eastwood so aptly put it, The community dont want to see peoples weight they want fair racing.. 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. Makes me happy to see that the community is able to speak with one voice if necessary. Blaming Zwift for allowing cheaters is the system problem that gets more people frustrated, upset, etc. .Personally I one of the outliers on height and weight. I was wondering is it possible to get the graph at the bottom of the screen that shows youre power and other stuff on a normal ride and not doing a FTP test or workout. If they keep riders from competing in categories below their ranking, it will reduce the number of sandbaggers and cruisers. My 3 race FTP is at 4.07w/kg (248w @ 61kg), but Im still in Cat B. Im more concerned about the guy who finished 5th with 144bpm. But what exactly is ZwiftPower and how does it work? 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). But I get beaten by lots of other zwifters, even on flat courses. I should mention: many Zwifters have lied about their in-game weight for perfectly acceptable reasons. Same reason there are categories and age group races outdoors! And flags height and weight changes if they go up or down alot. 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. But it highlights a bigger problem, and that is the fundamental flaw of using watts per kilo for race categorization. When you're in the game, click "Menu". And one cheater leads to another and its an arms race of gaming the game. Terms of Use/DMCA Copyright Policy Can someone answer why we need the different categories? was the lowest of top 15 riders. 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). 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. Thats the reason why a results category would be more interesting like Erics suggested in his topic. 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 . I have to say I weigh myself most mornings in the buff (just my glasses on so I can see the numbers)! 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. Although does WTRL encourage reverse weight doping? Why dont you start self-regulating then? ThatRead more . Too heavy watts are up but watts per kilo goes down. USA Cycling has categories that are based on experience and performance. This community-driven site is maintained by Eric Schlange and a team of Zwift enthusiasts. (I dont recommend this approach, but it proves the point that weight doping is an issue that concerns many Zwift racers. This afternoon, Zwift posted a follow-up message on the forum. Chip on the shoulder there or what? It doesnt appear that people are abiding by the categories. Generally weigh myself once a month. There is no disqualification for going over your w/kg limit. Yes, there are plenty of variabies, but power is power. The six-digit number highlighted in bold will be your Zwift ID. would that be cheating then ? If I get down to 52 kilos I can climb well but my sprinting is terrible. 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. My IRL time and my Zwift time are almost the same. My 3.9w/kg (a new PR!) Otherwise I stand by my comment. Have you considered drinking during a race? On Zwift, weight dopers seek to gain an advantage by entering a lower-than-life weight into their Zwift profile. But youre not affecting anyone elses experience. 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. Ive done multiple races where my main goal was to keep the watts as low as possible while hanging with the front group. . Look at ZP results. 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 would thought with how sensitive the sensors are they could place another one somewhere on the unit that simply does the job and takes away all the manual input. Incrasing virtual weight would probaly downgrade me to B again. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. It's also possible to filter results and data by categories, such as different age or power ranges. What you see a lot are riders who are (claiming) to be really light with decent but not exceptional watts. 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. Actually no, sorry, I was wrong. Which brings me to todays topic: reverse weight doping. Share your thoughts below, and you may also wish to share those thoughts on the actual forum post. The easiest way to qualify for a higher category is to cut weight. The first way is to head into your profile. Case in point: in the A race I mentioned, only one rider was heavier than my 85kg dad bod. Since we know that lighter weight=higher virtual speed, this is a very easy way to cheat the system on Zwift. As others have said, your higher weight helps on flat courses. As such, we have agreed to pause this change while we develop tools that deliver greater transparency to Zwift racing while promoting wellness. Bath Or theyll ride races 1-2 categories below their actual W/kg so they can still win and feel like that theyre legends. Weight would be updated as normal throughout the month. Many riders is talking about cheating, when someone enters a lower category but it's not, in my opinion. As long as the button to enter a lower cat is active, riders will Press It. 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. 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. 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. 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. We may call it sandbagging or reversed weight doping but its legal . 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. Im the opposite. The other race, events, and activities are needed to display that data. Todd_S (Todd S) March 12, 2015, 3:09am #4 I'm new to the app. 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. I did this because I had a particular effort level planned for my workout that day, and didnt want to exceed it. If you've already created an accountcheck out the s. 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. In fact, if in a long ride your weight could change by more than 1kg over the course of that one ride!!! People with eating disorders, or a proclivity toward extreme dieting. Absolutely impossible. I completely agree with the last paragraph here. People still rode at B level pace in a C group. If thats not something that needs fixing then why run any races? 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.. Theres also fitnesssyncer.com that is free up to 4 sync services. My power to weight is decent at about 4w/kg. 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 . The categories currently used in most Zwift events are based on your FTP watts per kilothat is, your FTP in watts, divided by your weight in kilograms. Ive been on a mission to get back to my racing weight in 2020. 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. Its more fun and engaging that way, for me at least. Theyre only cheating themselves and it all comes out in the wash eventually. Additionally, well be moving forward on hiding height and weight from Zwift Companion and Web. Unless a youth rider, height is generally going to remain the same. Take one of our four FTP tests to determine your FTP. Fluctuations of a few percent would be tolerated and percent change would be displayed on ZP. Zwif: your ultimate guide Prior to joining the team, he had written for most major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly, Rouleur, and CyclingTips. I agree WTRL ZRL races dont feel like they have cheaters. On a tablet or smartphone, you can download the. Thats not what I recall at all, everything is a race, even if you werent aware . 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. In order to ride with him I have to drop my weight to allow me to keep up. 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. 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 . Is it doping though? 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. I dont care anyway. He argues hes not gaining an advantage. They do however have a disadvantage on any flat or downhill. 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. 2. 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. How does it work? Now head back to ZwiftPower, click 'Connect' at the top of the page, then enter your Zwift ID in the box when prompted. Note how he wins races while his max HR is around 30 beats below his maximum. indispensabile essere sinceri nel dichiarare il proprio peso , per se stessi e per il rispetto degli altri . There is no progression from lower to higher categories through placement. My HR numbers are almost identical to yours. I love reading it. This is real frustrating as hes a top u12 racer and wants to see his efforts recognise. Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts. Everything you need to know about the third-party Zwift results and analysis website. Hi Using HRM is difficult as well as you max HRM changes with age mine is 159 flat out but I am over 60. (and dont do organized rides for fairness) so I dont have resistance changes and sometimes zwift reports extraordinary power readings for a ride. Food for thought. 2.5w/kg (215Watts) is hard for me to hold for extended periods but I keep trying. There was a problem. 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. Threshold HR is around 151 bpm. Hopefully ZHQ will take a harder look the changes that have been proposed over the past year or so. 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. . In some cases this even happens unfairly. See how you can support Zwift Insider! w/kg is partially based on real world physics. 5 year age categories and incredibly competitive a in most age groups, Thanks so much for your helpful comment. As a low to mid-cat rider, ImRead more . 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. Remember - Zwift is a trainingplatform.. and if a rider feels his/hers motivation to ride, is higher when entering 'wrong' it's ok with me..AND obviously with Zwift too.