Thats hilarious. If there are problems, Zwift already has a reporting function and everything is recorded police that properly andRead more . Whatever your answer, some people will never like it, but there has to be a clear, credible answer for the majority to support. Joining ZwiftPower isn't the most straightforward series of steps, but we've broken it down so you can get started as soon as possible. Riders weight will rise and fall but under normal circumstances within a range. Click on the Settings button and you'll find the Trainer Difficulty slider. I am not saying that everyone with a low weight on zwift is cheating, but I am suggesting that there are many who are because zwift favours light riders, and people do like to win. Gain a few (virtual) pounds. 2. (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). I am in the 5 percentile of height and weight at 52 and 130lb with my lowest weight of 118 lbs in my racing career. EZ and self regulating. 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. He lives in Northern California with his beautiful wife, two kids and dog. 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?. How Do I Change My FTP On Zwift? What is that!?! The six-digit number highlighted in bold will be your Zwift ID. But the vast majority do not. stop worrying about whatRead 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. Yes, there are plenty of variabies, but power is power. How I got faster in Triathlon | Medium Read on for our guide on how the app works, how to get set up, and how to analyse your racing. Kudos to Zwift for listening to their customers and admitting they made a mistake. the lighter rider has to ride much harder to stay in the groups with a few big guys cruising along. It all has to do with the way Zwifts racing categories work. How does it work? We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices. My W/Kg has gone from 3.76 to 3.97 without me really improving my FTP. what does help identify and stop cheats is formalizing race series and having them use an organization like Zada (whether effective now or not, this is the correct path). 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. How do you actually update your weight on ZP?? In IRL there is a double draft. But it highlights a bigger problem, and that is the fundamental flaw of using watts per kilo for race categorization. if someone is entering a fake weight on their Zwift profile, the only person they're cheating is themselves, cos they're going to get destroyed out on the roads where it really matters. On a tablet or smartphone, you can download the. I would say 1kg or more is more normal. thanks for the help with the graphs. A good portion of that weight difference is in the Hub's 10.3 . how do i change my weight on zwift power - lakenlooks.com 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 so, that makes sense to me and I can absolutely see the point of that. You have lowered your weight and skewed your power graph so it is inaccurate. . Weight would be updated as normal throughout the month. Now head back to ZwiftPower, click 'Connect' at the top of the page, then enter your Zwift ID in the box when prompted. If you set your weight high enough that you fail to do well you will drop in the categories. I should mention: many Zwifters have lied about their in-game weight for perfectly acceptable reasons. When a rider can change categories by modifying their virtual body weight, thats an issue. Zwift doesn't need a fancy code fix, they don't need special anti-cheat software, special post race investigations, and they don't need to change anything other than when the game updates personal attributes. He had fun laughing at fat dad, but I pipped him at the line! Theres also fitnesssyncer.com that is free up to 4 sync services. I have been frustrated with the GC results in the current Tour of Watopia series. Why we are treating this differently from actual racing? I think it would be best if there was a separate cat system for flat routes (based on watts) and for hilly routes (based on w/kg), My understanding is that Zwift still applies real world physics to this situation, and maybe the article doesnt allude to it, in that on the flat Zwift wont use w/kg to drive speed but your pure watts. The issues with e-racing remain the same, and largely ignored for years now. In theory (at least) weight dopers could game the results based categories as well. That gives me more hope for the future of the platform than any announcement from Zwift ever could. 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. Well, imagine youre a strong C racer. Best Zwift setups: Indoor cycling setups to give you the competitive edge. ZwiftPower Height & Weight Changes Postponed | Zwift Insider 1. hanging with the front group is very though for me because i am exactly at the bridge between A and B. Totally agree with you. I dont know why this is, but i dont care one bit if people are cheating. You'll receive a four-digit code, which you'll then have to add to your. 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. 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). Makes me happy to see that the community is able to speak with one voice if necessary. All lists are full of 190cm lads weighting 65kgs. Unless a youth rider, height is generally going to remain the same. I have been light and I have been heavy. This can be seen by comparing Zwift physics with real life physics (calculated by websites likeRead more . The algorithms very much help heavier riders in descents, which gets forgotten when all we discuss is climbing. Contribute a post, shop through us, make a donation, advertise on this site. Keep hammering the point and finding ways that Zwift can improve controls. Why no monitoring on this? 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. Their hr should also correspond, which they often dont. If I feel happy in my body thats the most important thing for me, and why I rarely weigh myself. 2022 Race Like A Pro. I havent even used my road bike outdoors since 2012. Plus imagine how bigRead more . Zwift lets you adjust the difficulty of your workout, before or even during your ride. Some races (many, in fact) on Zwift work exactly like that. Otherwise I stand by my comment. 2 Likes _Jynxy_EVO (:)) October 1, 2021, 1:41pm #8 thxs mike, That was my first thought when a fellow Zwifter commented on my recent race, Somehow you always get your w/kg down. I have climbed well and I have suffered on climbs but also sprinted well. If its a big hill, well then w/kg has us equalised. That is pretty low compared to most people on zwiftpower. The bottom line is that in any competition there will always be someone who wants to cheat to win.Read more . either a) ur starting ur sprint way too late or b) ur leading him out. Maybe they should display and categorise HR as a %age? So I dont expect to be as competitive vs. a pure cyclist. If thats the norm, then I really dont see theRead more . The Tour de Zwift events this year were much moreRead more , Wait. 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. More of an issue than thisRead more . 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. Hide the weight who cares let them upgrade all the way to As where you have strict reporting requirements. Put simply, ZwiftPower is a community-driven website that complements the Zwift app. 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. Thats the reason why a results category would be more interesting like Erics suggested in his topic. Zwift is great just to ride around and it has lots of good training sessions which you can do. 5x5min, 4x8min but definitely never longer than 8 minutes. angels stadium covid rules. But maybe Im just thinking like a lady its hard for me to imagine a lady voluntarily gaining weight, even virtual weight. Its going to take a certain amount of calories for a certain person to perform a given amount of work in a given time. Now you'll have to head over to ZwiftPower.com and register there. You can record your weight n height n have it verified by experts etc up to five minutes before an event. See how you can support Zwift Insider! Stick a few more kgs on to stop you getting upgraded, would that get you a ban? Your voice is important to us. .Personally I one of the outliers on height and weight. I think he is referring to the 2021 Haute Route GC (or lack thereof), Sorry, thats right, it was the Haute Route 2021 events. 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. In reality no under 12 is competing with a decent 2nd or 3rd cat (UK system) Ive ridden with enough talented youth riders that this is fact so letting young kids crush half decent amateurs on zwift would be unrealistic. ZwiftPower: Your ultimate guide | Cyclingnews Monthly weigh ins arent perfect but they are better than no weigh ins. 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. There is no progression from lower to higher categories through placement. 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. This clearly shows the power of the Zwift blob it impacts more than just drafting. Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts. Eric runs Zwift Insider in his spare time when he isn't on the bike or managing various business interests. Frankly I struggle to believe these are real. I have wondered about this subject on a few occasions. IRead more , Aaron, do you know what is the wattage requirement for Cat A? 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!!! I agree with your idea. He argues hes not gaining an advantage. 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. How about simply showing a percentage variance. there seems to be a lot of variability in power products and what people are using to feed into zwift. I have just accepted that at my height I will always be heavier than the average cyclist. If I get down to 52 kilos I can climb well but my sprinting is terrible. Yes, smaller riders have less frontal area, but the difference in CdA isnt that much. Most of my ZwiftRead more . ZwiftPower - Login . First, you need to sign up for an account. Thats not what I recall at all, everything is a race, even if you werent aware . 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. A great challenge for those looking for those training gains. We may call it sandbagging or reversed weight doping but its legal . The winners are almost always people with recorded weights sub 70kgs, more typically 65kgs, even 59! 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 many cyclists do you see in real life who are 65kgs, but they are ten a penny on Zwift. They are not, and never were, skill classes of any kind (ie. Other than that, I rarely look at weight unless some results are very weird. But many people (including myself) prefer categorized races because we want to have a chance to actually battle it out for a win. 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. 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. And flags height and weight changes if they go up or down alot. My power to weight ratio would be the same, but Id get the benefits you get from being a heavier rider. Most of the time, this will be what you use to figure out your race category. 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 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. Youre having fun winning (or nearly winning) C races! It does the job as described. You do you. Do you believe weight doping (reverse or otherwise) is a big problem in Zwift racing, and if so, what can be done about it? Race them if you want, but Rides like Tour de Zwift are not based on rider category, they are based on distance. High intensity: 30/30 and 40/20sec Rnnestad intervals like 3x (10x40/20sec). They do? 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. Hes not looking for a trophy every race. Also a really frustrating thing is why doesnt Zwift autoRead more , is he riding in the right category? 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." 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). Good heavens man, the sentence before You do you says If its not done during a competitive Zwift event, I dont see it as a problem. Obviously weight doping in races is cheating and not acceptable. But youre training and racing and getting stronger, and eventually your FTP improves to 260 watts, which is 3.25 w/kg. Thats why there are no top 40 Cat C riders in 70-75Kg range. 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? Privacy Policy, How to Race on Zwift (Setup, Strategy, and More). Threshold HR is around 151 bpm. Current category system simply allows very fast but heavy riders to race in categories lower than their actual abilities. Ugh! 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. 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.. 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. Wow, cheating !! ), So what is reverse weight doping? We would like to thank the community for your passion and feedback. I am always passed by everyone on the way up but can usually catch up on the way down (190cm/93kg). Racing the As resp. 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 . Zwift posted a follow-up message on the forum, 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 argue that he is intentionally misrepresenting his weight so he can place higher in B instead of getting shelled in A (like I do). My best race results as a Zwift B are on flatter routes, and I find my watts per kilo are consistently lower than most of the riders around me. If its not done during a competitive Zwift event, I dont see it as a problem. However, I do understand Kens point. Zwift How-To: Adjusting Your Trainer Difficulty | Zwift 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. The key phrase is assuming both riding at the same W/kg, so for the same watts, if I claim to be 10kgs lighter than I really am my W/kg will increase considerably. I would suggest a free (for now) virtual race license that would outline racer behavior with consequences. Id say physics does! it's a good training tool. This calculates that this heavy rider would take 23:14 to do the distance a justRead more , Everyone has a sweet spot for weight. 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. 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. Email zwiftpower@zwift.com if you want to reset everything. Some big Zwift races have specific rulesets, etc. I rode outside last night, and Im sure I will again soon. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Once you have a number for your FTP in watts, divide it by your weight in kilograms. Though our intent is to protect potentially vulnerable users by removing labels that can trigger unhealthy behaviour What are they trying to protect? If youre a 300-pound dude who wants to go a little faster uphill as a virtual 200 pounder, have at it. I guess I could play the same game and pretend to be 65kgs (350/65 = an impressive 5.38w/kg), This is where Zwifts scaling of CdA on height and weight gets out of whack with reality. But It doesnt mean that that person is going to be the person riding the bike on the trainer during the race does it. In real life, Id dust that guy. Exactly. 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). You weigh 80kg and have an FTP of 248 watts, which works out to 3.1 w/kg. Ive done multiple races where my main goal was to keep the watts as low as possible while hanging with the front group. 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. The only trouble is the downhill doesnt take as long of course, so the light advantage is obviously better. Or theyll ignore leaders instructions and ride off the front of a group (flyers). Ive seen many A Riders with 300 FTP on Zwift who I beat by a HUGE MARGIN at triathlon events, including the cycling portion. With racer categories? On Zwift, weight dopers seek to gain an advantage by entering a lower-than-life weight into their Zwift profile. how do i change my weight on zwift power - popupafrica.com At least I can be best in one thing on zwiftpower. 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. We like this move from Zwift. Youve got people putting out 5+ watts/kilo atRead more . So what! 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. Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts. But I will, and Ill get hammered and hopefully improve. For example the threshold for cat B is FTP over 200 watts and over 3.2 w/kg. Zwift should offer a Validated Racer package for a slight premium over normal membership. I used to live next to the Alpe and later, next to the Ventoux. I never reverse weight doped. EDIT Found my answer: 250w, Theres a chart about halfway down this page: https://zwiftpower.com/viewtopic.php?f=68&t=5528. My power to weight is decent at about 4w/kg. 240W 50kg riders (4.8W/kg) beat 380W 95kg riders in B category Tempus Fugit time trials. It just makes a mockery of the whole system. 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. Tie that together with not letting people race in a lower (but letting them race in a higher) cat, and youll have fixed a number of the issues. 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. Login Required The Zwift Engineering team is focused on improving security for ZwiftPower users. The rule set for the categories is so simple yet Id bet >99% dont understand it, to my knowledge cyclingRead more . 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. Especially for the C and D groups but even for the Bs albeit to a lesser degree.