Sandbagging is pointless if winning means youre going to move up (unless you want to take 3 months off after your win. If you are on the lighter side, try picking some climbing races. In the 2 months Ive been on Zwift Ive become a stronger rider than ever, because Zwift encourages me to push myself harder than I do in real life. Leave the setting unchanged and climbs often feel challenging. Kudos to Zwift for listening to their customers and admitting they made a mistake. Mike, Great article as ever Eric. The only trouble is the downhill doesnt take as long of course, so the light advantage is obviously better. But Its hard to confirm whether or not its transmitting the weight to Zwift. Food for thought. The book Fast After 50 is a good read on how masters athletes can train more effectively. 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. Exactly. I am about to hit the four year mark on Zwift. 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. A great challenge for those looking for those training gains. Maybe they should display and categorise HR as a %age? Sure, easy! My 3 race FTP is at 4.07w/kg (248w @ 61kg), but Im still in Cat B. why because of weight, not power. My 3.9w/kg (a new PR!) When a rider can change categories by modifying their virtual body weight, thats an issue. But your point is correct, if someone has a good string of results, upg them regardless of cat limits, and zwift needs to lock them out of cat in-game for it to be effective. My power to weight is decent at about 4w/kg. yes, but you are missing my point. for example,Read more . 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. EZ and self regulating. Daniel Ostanek is production editor at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired as staff writer. Mate youre a legend. This is especially true if you are trying to ride with riders you possibly know locally or otherwise. Bob, what on earth is that all about? Its ridiculous. Im curious to see this summer if I can do the numbers outdoors as I push out on Zwift but I cant even think of a road to use for 30 mins without stop signs, pot holes, lots of traffic, etc. But youre not affecting anyone elses experience. Thanks! The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox! I put my real weight 95% of the time. Not too many people actually want to see other peoples height or weight except to be able to verify race results are reasonable. Keep it on. I am 65 kg with FTP of 270 W, which equlas 4,15 w/kg. As far as my weight goes the only thing I care about is being as accurate as I can to get accurate results. Share your thoughts below!
ZwiftPower - Login I once made myself much heavier so I could compete against my 11-year-old son in a head to head Zwift climbing race. However, I definitely recommend entering some races. Youre having fun winning (or nearly winning) C races! (and dont do organized rides for fairness) so I dont have resistance changes and sometimes zwift reports extraordinary power readings for a ride. 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. Seeing someone race cat A/B on Zwift and then be at the back of the age group pack in a local tri/ bike race canRead more , I understand what you are saying, but the average racer who can legitimately churn out x watts/ kilo for minutes on end will be doing more with that than just being a zwift warrior (if they are getting onto the road to really ride and not just commute), and, traffic lights or not, their real-world rides will at least give resemblance to their zwift output, even if only for certain segments at a time. Fact ! 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. In fact, if in a long ride your weight could change by more than 1kg over the course of that one ride!!! Can someone answer why we need the different categories? Its a huge problem. There was a problem. 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. How do I get started on Zwift? 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. 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. Racing on the Zwift virtual platform has only increased, with the professionals getting in on the act, too, via the Zwift Tour for All, the Virtual Tour of the Gila, and e-races organised by Team Ineos. Someone sandbagging will get promoted out of category and will not be allowed to reg for lower categories. 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. More of an issue than thisRead more . Not everyone has the same HRmax. In some cases this even happens unfairly. Great drafting skills!, Heres the thing: I probably am a fairly efficient racer, when I want to be. But for most riders watts per kilo rules the day, determining which category you race in Zwift. Also a really frustrating thing is why doesnt Zwift autoRead more , is he riding in the right category? If you've already created an accountcheck out the s. Im quite heavy, at about 85kgs, but also 183cms tall (and 52 years old). For the time being, height and weight will remain visible on ZwiftPower. Last week I did the prl full and Uber pretzel and tried to get #1 by weight on those segments. In the many B races i have done it was more fun because i was competitive. 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. Unless a youth rider, height is generally going to remain the same. Some races (many, in fact) on Zwift work exactly like that. (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 . 2 Likes _Jynxy_EVO (:)) October 1, 2021, 1:41pm #8 thxs mike, however 2 riders at the same w/kg, heavier riders have the advantage on flats & descents: https://zwiftinsider.com/wkg-tests/. If someone dopes so they do 4w/kg then they should be racing with other people who do 4w/kg. I dont care anyway. Think of ZwiftPower, then, as something similar to Strava, only entirely Zwift-focused, and free! if youre on zwift and intentionally cheating to get whichever fake virtual badge or win whichever fake virtual place in a race, then youre real-life literal loser. 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 impacts the Group Rides and as you said the performance statistics individually. Certainly it impacts the accuracy of race performance and results. This is pretty timely for me as my FTP is 283 and my weight is currently 71.2kg. 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. Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. If other people want to obsess about my weight thats up to them but I wont. Im using a quarq crank power meter on my rock and roll while I save up for direct drive. (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). Most of my ZwiftRead more . And atRead more . Would achieve the same thing. That gives me more hope for the future of the platform than any announcement from Zwift ever could. We may call it sandbagging or reversed weight doping but its legal . However, I do understand Kens point. I dont think so. 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. 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 . Other planned changes communicated last week, including plans to improve the reporting features in Zwift will be rolled out as planned. Zwift Insider is independent of Zwift corporate (www.zwift.com), although Zwift does provide funding to help defray site costs. My guess is that another reason some do it, is because it gives you points on zwiftpower, becauseRead more . Its more fun and engaging that way, for me at least. I have heard women admit on social rides that their zwift weight is their goal weightRead more . ), You say at the end..you do you, it doesnt affect anyone. I hopeRead more . Head to http://my.zwift.com/ and hover your mouse cursor over the 'Download' button under one of your activities. also interesting about this equation are the: wattage data points and the zwift computations of W/Kg. IRL cycling pros are not exactly heavy weights and lean-ness is highly encouraged. either a) ur starting ur sprint way too late or b) ur leading him out. 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. So what! The COVID-19 lockdown period, now in its third month around the world, has seen an unprecedented boom in virtual cycling. Riders weight will rise and fall but under normal circumstances within a range. 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. nothing more. yea but realistically is it worth it for them to dedicate the resources to that $$$$$$$, Well, thats good news. Why not only require weight and height for entry to A and B races? I never reverse weight doped. Now you'll have to head over to ZwiftPower.com and register there. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts. How doRead more . Find out more about how we test. Lucky forRead more . Hitting G on your keyboard will do it, or swipe up on iPhone or iPad, etc then tap the graph button. So its not that easy for light people to hide in the pack and benefit from the draft in Zwift, which is half the reality (in many ways its easier IRL). I think a once-weekly weigh-in is acceptable. I said if its not done during a competitive Zwift event, its not a problem. I would include chasing Strava Zwift KOMs as a competitive event (but I could see how what I said could be interpreted otherwise. Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Included with this license agreement can be the approval to show height and weight. There is no reason I should be gettingRead more , Sounds like its time to start racing the Bs, @guest_35522! 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. . The issues with e-racing remain the same, and largely ignored for years now. You should do much better at your actual weight in that case. That's it! What you see a lot are riders who are (claiming) to be really light with decent but not exceptional watts. The other race, events, and activities are needed to display that data. people need to stop taking Zwift racing so seriously.
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. 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. 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. (Same effect in a sprint, just harder to isolate). Makes me happy to see that the community is able to speak with one voice if necessary. 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. 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." The bottom line is that in any competition there will always be someone who wants to cheat to win.Read more . Race specific phase: 3x10min 50-60rpm intervals with . If Zwift can be seen to be doing that then very little need toRead more . Id say physics does! We are taking an iterative approach to the ongoing upgrades to the back end of the site. There is no cat C rider at 58kg who has a hope in hell of beating me in any race. 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. There is no disqualification for going over your w/kg limit. Then weigh yourself, and open Zwift, and see if it reflects the change. 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. See how you can support Zwift Insider! What if you are super committed and gain the weight in real life just so you can stay in the category , Excellent posts on perhaps the most serious non-hardware problem in Zwift right now. The first way is to head into your profile.
What do you include in your Zwift weight? : r/Zwift - reddit Finally, just head back to ZwiftPower and click 'Connect to my Account'. I currently weigh 59kgs but my BMI is 25 which technically overweight. I would say 1kg or more is more normal. look at the article. 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. 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). Manually change your weight in Zwift by adding 10 pounds. there seems to be a lot of variability in power products and what people are using to feed into zwift. Many riders is talking about cheating, when someone enters a lower category but it's not, in my opinion. 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.
ZwiftPower FAQ - Zwift Support Once I hit 185 its either sit up and catch my breath of fall of the bike. It's also possible to filter results and data by categories, such as different age or power ranges. Zwift should offer a Validated Racer package for a slight premium over normal membership. Weight doping is only a serious issue when its done in competition. 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 . Connecting to ZwiftPower Before you can start using ZwiftPower, you'll need to create an account. Launch Zwift and go to the Menu. On a tablet or smartphone, you can download the. Contribute a post, shop through us, make a donation, advertise on this site. In a race not in Zwift it is very easy for people to recongize who I am. I dont think it can all be attributed to weight; it appears that some hardware tweaks can scale up the reported power output. Congratulations John on your retirement and Zwift is a great retirement present. Would love your thoughts, please comment. 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? Monthly weigh ins arent perfect but they are better than no weigh ins. https://zwiftpower.com/profile.php?z=697996. This is real frustrating as hes a top u12 racer and wants to see his efforts recognise. Example: have you ever purposely avoided weighing yourself (especially you who have a Withings scale that automatically updates your Zwift weight) because you know youve put on a few pounds over the weekend? 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. If thats not something that needs fixing then why run any races? Theres also fitnesssyncer.com that is free up to 4 sync services. It doesnt appear that people are abiding by the categories. How Do I Change My FTP On Zwift? 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. First, you need to sign up for an account. Since we know that lighter weight=higher virtual speed, this is a very easy way to cheat the system on Zwift. It's possible to check just about any kind of Zwift result using ZwiftPower, with the website sortable by leagues, race series and segments. I know Ive done it! Yes us heavier riders have the downhill advantage definitely. 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 . Its going to take a certain amount of calories for a certain person to perform a given amount of work in a given time. We are new to Zwift and My son Whos 12 has used it to race to make up for his list u12 crit season. 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. 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 . Heres an idea: Take weigh out of the equation. I was going flat out the whole race, and by no means cruising along watching my watts. Terms of Use/DMCA Copyright Policy 5x5min, 4x8min but definitely never longer than 8 minutes. 2.5w/kg (215Watts) is hard for me to hold for extended periods but I keep trying. Have you ever compared numbers for calories burned, power output and even elevation ridden for a Zwift ride uploaded to Strava? Otherwise I stand by my comment. Case in point: in the A race I mentioned, only one rider was heavier than my 85kg dad bod. We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices. He lives in Northern California with his beautiful wife, two kids and dog. 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. I am 42 years-old with a HRmax of ~169 bpm. You must be a much better person than me, because thats something I will Never make peace with. There is no progression from lower to higher categories through placement. It all has to do with the way Zwifts racing categories work. As long as the button to enter a lower cat is active, riders will Press It. Just from riding regularly I went from 166 FTP to 187 in 800 miles over a 2 1/2 months. The race I did had all categories racing together with a mass start, so the categories felt arbitrary as my place was not within my chosen category but across the whole field anyway. Which brings me to todays topic: reverse weight doping. Incrasing virtual weight would probaly downgrade me to B again. Zwif: your ultimate guide Keep hammering the point and finding ways that Zwift can improve controls. Obviously, these are generally accepted rules in the Zwift Community. 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. Do some races have split out start times so you are only racing with those of similar ability? The rule set for the categories is so simple yet Id bet >99% dont understand it, to my knowledge cyclingRead more . Some people, I think, just have a lower HR. 240W 50kg riders (4.8W/kg) beat 380W 95kg riders in B category Tempus Fugit time trials. It's a real community hub. See how you can support Zwift Insider! Your voice is important to us. Ive been on a mission to get back to my racing weight in 2020. Their hr should also correspond, which they often dont. If its not done during a competitive Zwift event, I dont see it as a problem. My W/Kg has gone from 3.76 to 3.97 without me really improving my FTP. As a relatively light 69kg rider, I often feel at a disadvantage in the flatter races, of which there are many more than hilly ones. 2022 Race Like A Pro. But then you could have someone in the same age group who maxes out at 170. I started started zwift four months ago as a retirement present to myself. She can crank but her w/kg is low. At least I can be best in one thing on zwiftpower. How does being heavier help a cyclist? you may ask. This raised concerns within the Zwift Racing Community regarding fairness in racing. Id be super interested in the timing you set your weight. Absolutely impossible. Im the opposite. was the lowest of top 15 riders. As soon as there is a single bit of flat cheerio! Keep writing this sort of thing. Nekkid and I only update my weight in zwift if it moves more than a KG. Racing the As resp. Hes had to up his weight as he is only 35kg ( upped time 45kg) he but puts out 220watt so his ftp is 5.5-6w/kg in a race. However, I was able to navigate to the settings page by doing the following. 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. 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. Youll move a little slower with the added virtual weight, but youll be able to hang with the front of the Cs instead of getting shelled off the back of the Bs. The Tour de Zwift events this year were much moreRead more , Wait. But I also did it because I knew it was great practice! There could be Zwift level weight bonuses instead of another pair of socks. 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. I may try it just to see what difference it makes.
ZwiftPower Height & Weight Changes Postponed | Zwift Insider 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. Tour de Zwift events were races? 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. And one cheater leads to another and its an arms race of gaming the game. Check out this FAQ for some of our frequently asked questions: Q:&. (Example: if your FTP is 300 watts and you weigh 75kg, your FTP w/kg would be 300/75, or 4 w/kg.)