. There was a problem. I agree with what you say Eric but the weight doping does negatively impact the casual rider if they are following other riders in a casual/social ride. ), So what is reverse weight doping? 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. 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.. Or theyll ride races 1-2 categories below their actual W/kg so they can still win and feel like that theyre legends. Yes, smaller riders have less frontal area, but the difference in CdA isnt that much. I wouldnt personally do it since it throws off training metrics and just isnt true. Just from riding regularly I went from 166 FTP to 187 in 800 miles over a 2 1/2 months. I dont really race so I am OK and any workouts are harder this way. 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. But theres one problem: this puts you into the B category, and you dont want to race the Bs. Thanks! 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. Updating Your Privacy Settings in Zwift Companion 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 . With Zwift control is difficult (in getting Zwifters to enter their accurate) wait. But for most riders watts per kilo rules the day, determining which category you race in Zwift. Race them if you want, but Rides like Tour de Zwift are not based on rider category, they are based on distance. I think a once-weekly weigh-in is acceptable. This is especially true if you are trying to ride with riders you possibly know locally or otherwise. 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 am currently 145kg and have not experienced any bullying so far. Thats a good thing. So I just bumped myself up to the B group and went faster overall simply because there were faster people to draft off of. Can someone answer why we need the different categories? Whats the cheaters solution? There is no reason I should be gettingRead more , Sounds like its time to start racing the Bs, @guest_35522! Are you efficient, or just heavy? It points to the need for a results-based categorization system, which I discussed a month ago in the final post of my race category series. Weight would be updated as normal throughout the month. I never thought i should weigh myself with my kit on. Blaming Zwift for allowing cheaters is the system problem that gets more people frustrated, upset, etc. 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. Response to our post as well as Zwifts own post in their forum were resoundingly negative from members of the Zwift racing community. Its only a bit of fun at my level (solid B with the odd podium). Racers who get top 1,2,3 more than a few times get upgraded period. Would achieve the same thing. 2. If thats not something that needs fixing then why run any races? Its more fun and engaging that way, for me at least. I just got upgraded to CAT A according to zwiftpower. 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. The only trouble is the downhill doesnt take as long of course, so the light advantage is obviously better. Nailed it. I have been cycling since I was a kid and now close to 50. How does it work? how do i change my weight on zwift power - popupafrica.com 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 . This site contains affiliate links to Amazon, Wahoo, and other brands. Not sure why its hard for you to believe that there are a lot of riders under 70kgs. 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. I have to say I weigh myself most mornings in the buff (just my glasses on so I can see the numbers)! Yes, we need to be categorized by our race ranking, not power. I havent even used my road bike outdoors since 2012. I do ZHR Masters on a Tuesday night. are clay hart and sally flynn still married; composite chart 12th house; tupperware party points; st francis of assisi school jobs 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. Living at 5,900 ft. adds a performance restriction on me, I get it. 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. Zwift Insider is independent of Zwift corporate (www.zwift.com), although Zwift does provide funding to help defray site costs. The only place where being heavy helps is on the decent, which are almost all short (except Ventoux and Alpe de Zwift), and as a heavy guy (85kgs) I need to recover on the decent. Look at ZP results. 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. Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts. I completely agree with the last paragraph here. I have seen riders weighting 56 kgs and week later they are 35 kgs. But youre training and racing and getting stronger, and eventually your FTP improves to 260 watts, which is 3.25 w/kg. If other people want to obsess about my weight thats up to them but I wont. This afternoon, Zwift posted a follow-up message on the forum. And flags height and weight changes if they go up or down alot. Now you'll have to head over to ZwiftPower.com and register there. 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. You lose 10 liters of sweat during a medium long ride? If the categories are split using purely w/kg a lighter rider doesnt have any advantage up the climbs at all. Id say physics does! How do you change rider weight? - Zwift Forums Thats the reason why a results category would be more interesting like Erics suggested in his topic. 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 . I once made myself much heavier so I could compete against my 11-year-old son in a head to head Zwift climbing race. Zwift lets you adjust the difficulty of your workout, before or even during your ride. 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). 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. Totally agree with you. But I also did it because I knew it was great practice! This site contains affiliate links to Amazon, Wahoo, and other brands. I agree Paul great idea. Included with this license agreement can be the approval to show height and weight. Would depend entirely upon the bike geometry, how much weight is over the front wheel and how much over the back. 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. 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. below this level you just have to take people's word for it. As a lighter racer 136lbs it pisses me off to see cheating. 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. 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. A great challenge for those looking for those training gains. But I will, and Ill get hammered and hopefully improve. Category systems are complex beasts, of course, I agree, people can have fun with weight doping and such aslong they dont enter competitive races. When a rider can change categories by modifying their virtual body weight, thats an issue. Great drafting skills!, Heres the thing: I probably am a fairly efficient racer, when I want to be. Problem solved! If you've already created an accountcheck out the s. With racer categories? Finally, just head back to ZwiftPower and click 'Connect to my Account'. People can be far to either direction im 25 and my max that I have hit is 217. On the flats and descents she crushes her w/kg field. Now in A i get dropped all the time. Why no monitoring on this? 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. Either these racers need to calibrate the trainer or they are sandbagging big time. Zwift power usually looks at numbers vs the category race he entered. 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!!! Its going to take a certain amount of calories for a certain person to perform a given amount of work in a given time. As soon as I start pedaling Im pretty much into threshold (around 170bpm). Maybe also add weight change limit 2kg per week? yea but realistically is it worth it for them to dedicate the resources to that $$$$$$$, Well, thats good news. Chip on the shoulder there or what? That is pretty low compared to most people on zwiftpower. 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. As Zwift racer James Eastwood so aptly put it, The community dont want to see peoples weight they want fair racing.. The categories are power to weight divisions. 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. Tempo Workouts Can Have a Place on Your Training PlanHere's How to Current category system simply allows very fast but heavy riders to race in categories lower than their actual abilities. Racing the As resp. This clearly shows the power of the Zwift blob it impacts more than just drafting. My weight is showing orange everytime. But youre not affecting anyone elses experience. Someone sandbagging will get promoted out of category and will not be allowed to reg for lower categories. We would like to thank the community for your passion and feedback. 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." I have been frustrated with the GC results in the current Tour of Watopia series. How I got faster in Triathlon | Medium In the many B races i have done it was more fun because i was competitive. Some people, I think, just have a lower HR. Conserving energy is a key part of successful bike racing. 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. Work over time is work over time. To move up to the next rank, ZwiftPower will take 95 per cent of your 20-minute average w/kg figure from your previous three races. To change your profile to have to log in on the Zwift website and then edit the profile there. Im not sure Id say the algorithms help heavier riders in descents. See how you can support Zwift Insider! either a) ur starting ur sprint way too late or b) ur leading him out. IRL I am 85kgs and cant pretend to be 65kgs. 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. Im sure it happens, but I would guess its pretty rare certainly less of a problem than normal weight doping. ZwiftPower FAQ We're sure you have several questions about ZwiftPower and what it is. For example, if a rider has an FTP of 210 watts and weighs 75 kilograms, that means the rider's FTP is 2.8 w/kg. 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. Why can we just all race together and the fastest person wins? Case in point: in the A race I mentioned, only one rider was heavier than my 85kg dad bod. 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). Note how he wins races while his max HR is around 30 beats below his maximum. 5x5min, 4x8min but definitely never longer than 8 minutes. I am not in the least bit interested in competition cycling, so no point in doping in either direction as i would only be cheating myself. I put my real weight 95% of the time. If its not done during a competitive Zwift event, I dont see it as a problem. Fact ! 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 . 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. Frustrating to someone who tries so hard to compete in my weight class to get beat by cheaters. Yes us heavier riders have the downhill advantage definitely. MyRead more . Zwif: your ultimate guide It would be easy to deny it was intentional. (Same effect in a sprint, just harder to isolate). If I get down to 52 kilos I can climb well but my sprinting is terrible. Im older heavier and relativily fit. Someone with my FTP should be CAT B, regardless of weight. I have tended to notice that a significant number of powerful zwifters real world Strava performances pale in comparison to their online achievements. I tried racing a D race, and finished way off the front behind about 2/3 of riders after Id ridden at 2.9W/kg for the race. 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). Hes asking for a fair race. Click on the Settings button and you'll find the Trainer Difficulty slider. And atRead more . there's a million and 1 reasons why it is not a legitimate sport. IRL if your weight is 85kg, itll take you longer to climb the Ventoux than if your weight is 65. In fact, if in a long ride your weight could change by more than 1kg over the course of that one ride!!! Im glad you wrote about this. Head to http://my.zwift.com/ and hover your mouse cursor over the 'Download' button under one of your activities. I got my 100kph badge on the Bologna course. I hopeRead more . However, I definitely recommend entering some races. Hes not looking for a trophy every race. 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. it's a good training tool. Zwift How-To: Adjusting Your Trainer Difficulty | Zwift bottom line for me, its a virtual training world, a virtual hammer isnt the same as a real hammer. All the emphasis on physical metrics makes sense for putting together how speed is calculated but not how one can race. Zwift is great just to ride around and it has lots of good training sessions which you can do. If I wanted to win I just drop my weight to 65kgs 350w/65kgs is a lot better than 350w/85kgs, of course 350w/65kg is better than 350w/85kg, its a massive increase in w/kg. I may try it just to see what difference it makes. But it highlights a bigger problem, and that is the fundamental flaw of using watts per kilo for race categorization. Or weight bonuses for completing events that last for a set amount of days or even hours. My guess is that another reason some do it, is because it gives you points on zwiftpower, becauseRead more . ZwiftPower - Login England and Wales company registration number 2008885. People still rode at B level pace in a C group. there seems to be a lot of variability in power products and what people are using to feed into zwift. ZwiftPower FAQ - Zwift Support Next up is the most finicky part of the process finding your Zwift ID in order to connect your accounts. On Zwift Power categories have both a wattage requirement and a w/kg requirement. How do you actually update your weight on ZP?? Do you believe weight doping (reverse or otherwise) is a big problem in Zwift racing, and if so, what can be done about it? Is a very strong rider for his age and trains hard. ), You say at the end..you do you, it doesnt affect anyone. I think that point based system is an improvement, but it doesnt address the weight issue. Theres also fitnesssyncer.com that is free up to 4 sync services. Shame I cant edit my post for the horrendous spelling and autocorrect gaffes. Terms of Use/DMCA Copyright Policy But then you could have someone in the same age group who maxes out at 170. How doRead more . I am 65 kg with FTP of 270 W, which equlas 4,15 w/kg. IMHO, enforcing in-category entry for races will be a quick, easy and effective change. The issues with e-racing remain the same, and largely ignored for years now. Knowing when to go hard and having the fitness to do so are also vital skills.). It will not eliminate this behavior but the races will be much more realistic and enjoyable. Ive been on a mission to get back to my racing weight in 2020. otherwise no way in hell hes beating you. If you were to meet meRead more . How Do I Change My FTP On Zwift? 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). 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. 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. I dont care anyway. Great article, Eric. I should mention: many Zwifters have lied about their in-game weight for perfectly acceptable reasons. Context, Tim, context! Because narcissistic people want to get validation from somewhere/someone that theyre special/different and if they cant get it legitimately theyll lie, cheat, and steal to do so. Check out this FAQ for some of our frequently asked questions: Q:&. As for the weight, I weight 190lbs, (86Ks) I put in 190lbs. This is pretty timely for me as my FTP is 283 and my weight is currently 71.2kg. Dont worry about your weight fluctuating through the week and remember you gain 0.5kg by drinking a half-litre bidon and lose it again through sweat (and by going to the toilet). Im not heavy (68kg), have a typical climber/TT phenotype (no short sprint but good FTP). Once you have a number for your FTP in watts, divide it by your weight in kilograms. 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 bottom line is that in any competition there will always be someone who wants to cheat to win.Read more . 240W 50kg riders (4.8W/kg) beat 380W 95kg riders in B category Tempus Fugit time trials. I am about to hit the four year mark on Zwift. It's also possible to filter results and data by categories, such as different age or power ranges. ThatRead more . This raised concerns within the Zwift Racing Community regarding fairness in racing. Yes, there are plenty of variabies, but power is power. I did this because I had a particular effort level planned for my workout that day, and didnt want to exceed it. Daniel Ostanek is production editor at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired as staff writer. Food for thought. Wow, cheating !! In fact, the only riders at or below my w/kg were minutes off the back. Please refresh the page and try again. 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. Have you ever compared numbers for calories burned, power output and even elevation ridden for a Zwift ride uploaded to Strava? 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. 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. Id be super interested in the timing you set your weight. Changing weight - ZwiftPower Community - Zwift Forums Not knowing what to pick and with minutes until the my first race, I selected the C group and was thus filtered out of the Zwift Power race results when I then posted a 4.00w/kg over the 28 minute race. Im in the same boat. 2 Likes _Jynxy_EVO (:)) October 1, 2021, 1:41pm #8 thxs mike, Have you considered age category racing. My HR numbers are almost identical to yours. 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 agree with your idea. 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. Prior to joining the team, he had written for most major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly, Rouleur, and CyclingTips. There is no progression from lower to higher categories through placement. 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. https://zwiftpower.com/profile.php?z=697996. In theory (at least) weight dopers could game the results based categories as well. I know its just virtual but my godi hope they enjoy their lies. So am I a super-drafter, the king of indoor efficiency? Same reason there are categories and age group races outdoors! 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. There is no cat C rider at 58kg who has a hope in hell of beating me in any race. ZwiftPower Height & Weight Changes Postponed | Zwift Insider 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. I use my average weight but I feel; guilty because my weight tends to fluctuate by 0.5K or more during the week depending on how much I eat during the day really interested to learn that there is a scale that auto updates Zwift. I have a Withings scale and in the Zwift Settings, it shows up as connected. Had assumed I just rode inefficiently. Leave the setting unchanged and climbs often feel challenging. . Connecting to ZwiftPower Before you can start using ZwiftPower, you'll need to create an account. (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 . I take issue with the weight doping is okay in none competitive events because of strava. (better than any bike upgrade i could afford) Yes its great to win,but as long as you improve yourself who cares what anyone else does.You will always get cheaters,dodgy equipment and so on so just enjoyRead more . Riders weight will rise and fall but under normal circumstances within a range. Threshold HR is around 151 bpm. The other race, events, and activities are needed to display that data. 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 . 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. 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.