Maybe they should display and categorise HR as a %age? Click on the Settings button and you'll find the Trainer Difficulty slider. 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 . In a race not in Zwift it is very easy for people to recongize who I am. Either these racers need to calibrate the trainer or they are sandbagging big time. Here it is in its entirety: Last week we outlined a number of planned changes to address harassment and further safeguard the health and wellbeing of the Zwift Community. 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). Cheapest Zwift setup: Everything to help you onto Zwift for the first time 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. Racing the As resp. 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? With Zwift control is difficult (in getting Zwifters to enter their accurate) wait. 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. Im not heavy (68kg), have a typical climber/TT phenotype (no short sprint but good FTP). If you gave the power, it will come out. Monthly weigh ins arent perfect but they are better than no weigh ins. However, I do understand Kens point. Category systems are complex beasts, of course, I agree, people can have fun with weight doping and such aslong they dont enter competitive races. However, I was able to navigate to the settings page by doing the following. Hide the weight who cares let them upgrade all the way to As where you have strict reporting requirements. I recently won a C race, but it didnt feel like winning as I knew there were 2 categories faster. If so, that makes sense to me and I can absolutely see the point of that. 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. I would say 1kg or more is more normal. 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. Im 170cm and currently 61kg with an ideal triathlon racing weight of 59kg. 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). ), So what is reverse weight doping? This site contains affiliate links to Amazon, Wahoo, and other brands. We are new to Zwift and My son Whos 12 has used it to race to make up for his list u12 crit season. Exactly, although As arent that regulated, unless you hit the premier class, which is a very small section of A riders. Ugh! Yes thats completely unacceptable, you should never be at a disadvantage at any time in your life, just as your mother raised you. This afternoon, Zwift posted a follow-up message on the forum. I agree WTRL ZRL races dont feel like they have cheaters. The categories currently used in most Zwift events are based on your FTP watts per kilo- that is, your FTP in watts, divided by your weight in kilograms. Just the fact that you need a third party (ZP) to validate race results really says it all. Zwift Hub Smart Cycling Trainer Review: An Affordable Way to Ride And besides, my main goal on Zwift is to not get dropped in the hills during Team Cryo-Gens more hardcore Saturday rides! Zwift power usually looks at numbers vs the category race he entered. I think a once-weekly weigh-in is acceptable. So am I a super-drafter, the king of indoor efficiency? Not sure why its hard for you to believe that there are a lot of riders under 70kgs. Once you have a number for your FTP in watts, divide it by your weight in kilograms. In fact, if in a long ride your weight could change by more than 1kg over the course of that one ride!!! 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. We like this move from Zwift. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Im not too concerned about weight doping really. No one is going to lose or gain 5kg overnight or shrink a 1cm. Frankly I struggle to believe these are real. 2022 SNOW Sprint Series See how you can support Zwift Insider! 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. I was told that was possible but I couldnt see how. 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. Keep it on. But the vast majority do not. It's harder than real racing. ZwiftPower - Login Please update your Zwift ID on the connection page to complete registration. 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. I mean I never lied about my weight, I am a very light rider working and eating hard to get some extra pounds. Two months ago he had a magic weight loss on zwift. yea but realistically is it worth it for them to dedicate the resources to that $$$$$$$, Well, thats good news. 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. It doesnt appear that people are abiding by the categories. Kudos to Zwift for listening to their customers and admitting they made a mistake. Privacy Policy, How to Race on Zwift (Setup, Strategy, and More). Privacy Policy, How to Race on Zwift (Setup, Strategy, and More). And atRead more . Is it doping though? Have you ever compared numbers for calories burned, power output and even elevation ridden for a Zwift ride uploaded to Strava? ), You say at the end..you do you, it doesnt affect anyone. In real life, Id dust that guy. 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. Congratulations John on your retirement and Zwift is a great retirement present. Im not sure Id say the algorithms help heavier riders in descents. Would depend entirely upon the bike geometry, how much weight is over the front wheel and how much over the back. How do you actually update your weight on ZP?? Bath My 3 race FTP is at 4.07w/kg (248w @ 61kg), but Im still in Cat B. Tempo Workouts Can Have a Place on Your Training PlanHere's How to The issues with e-racing remain the same, and largely ignored for years now. Take one of our four FTP tests to determine your FTP. This can be seen by comparing Zwift physics with real life physics (calculated by websites likeRead more . bottom line for me, its a virtual training world, a virtual hammer isnt the same as a real hammer. 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). If you're on Zwift and planning to get racing, then signing up to the third-party app ZwiftPower (opens in new tab) is an essential step. Even some of the regulated weight rides will give 2kg leeway. This site contains affiliate links to Amazon, Wahoo, and other brands. I have wondered about this subject on a few occasions. https://zwiftpower.com/profile.php?z=697996. Lucky forRead more . (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 . In spectacular and shocking fashion. What you see a lot are riders who are (claiming) to be really light with decent but not exceptional watts. SoggyAlbatross2. So what! below this level you just have to take people's word for it. To change your profile to have to log in on the Zwift website and then edit the profile there. Bump your Zwift weight up to 84kg and even with your new and improved 260-watt FTP youre only at 3.1 w/kg! Everyone races at the same weight/height. I never thought i should weigh myself with my kit on. There is no reason I should be gettingRead more , Sounds like its time to start racing the Bs, @guest_35522! Riders weight will rise and fall but under normal circumstances within a range. On a tablet or smartphone, you can download the. I am 65 kg with FTP of 270 W, which equlas 4,15 w/kg. Hopefully ZHQ will take a harder look the changes that have been proposed over the past year or so. 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 will not eliminate this behavior but the races will be much more realistic and enjoyable. The Tour de Zwift events this year were much moreRead more , Wait. for example,Read more . When a rider can change categories by modifying their virtual body weight, thats an issue. Prior to joining the team, he had written for most major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly, Rouleur, and CyclingTips. I think that point based system is an improvement, but it doesnt address the weight issue. 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. Email [email protected] if you want to reset everything. How doRead more . I have tended to notice that a significant number of powerful zwifters real world Strava performances pale in comparison to their online achievements. otherwise no way in hell hes beating you. We may call it sandbagging or reversed weight doping but its legal . Same reason there are categories and age group races outdoors! Have you considered drinking during a race? This is real frustrating as hes a top u12 racer and wants to see his efforts recognise. Great article, Eric. I started started zwift four months ago as a retirement present to myself. Last week I did the prl full and Uber pretzel and tried to get #1 by weight on those segments. IfRead more . I should mention: many Zwifters have lied about their in-game weight for perfectly acceptable reasons. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Any thoughts on verifying? Not too many people actually want to see other peoples height or weight except to be able to verify race results are reasonable. Too heavy watts are up but watts per kilo goes down. I wouldnt personally do it since it throws off training metrics and just isnt true. IMHO, enforcing in-category entry for races will be a quick, easy and effective change. If someone dopes so they do 4w/kg then they should be racing with other people who do 4w/kg. USA Cycling has categories that are based on experience and performance. But youre training and racing and getting stronger, and eventually your FTP improves to 260 watts, which is 3.25 w/kg. Just sign up for A races from now on. Id be super interested in the timing you set your weight. 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. In theory (at least) weight dopers could game the results based categories as well. 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. 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!!! Someone with my FTP should be CAT B, regardless of weight. Hitting G on your keyboard will do it, or swipe up on iPhone or iPad, etc then tap the graph button. Similar to the announcement of the European Super League in soccer, Zwift failed to read the room. 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. There could be Zwift level weight bonuses instead of another pair of socks. Context, Tim, context! The first way is to head into your profile. My power to weight is decent at about 4w/kg. Zwift is full of cheaters and thats not going to change now. 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. 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. But for most riders watts per kilo rules the day, determining which category you race in Zwift. (I dont recommend this approach, but it proves the point that weight doping is an issue that concerns many Zwift racers. I used to live next to the Alpe and later, next to the Ventoux. Heres how it works. How I got faster in Triathlon | Medium Updating Your Public Profile Zwift takes your physical measurements into account for things like leaderboards, speed, and your avatar's physical appea. Ive connected my garmin scale with this app https://smartscalesync.com/?utm_source=tr Just from riding regularly I went from 166 FTP to 187 in 800 miles over a 2 1/2 months. It's a bit more complicated than most website sign-ups, but now you'll be all ready to get started. Doing this will bring up a box at the bottom of the browser showing a web address something similar to: https://s3-fit-prd-uswest2-zwift.s3.amazonaws.com/prod/000000/a2e1b7f8-27610843. Garmin Forerunner 265/265S In-Depth Review: AMOLED in Two Sizes! Well, imagine youre a strong C racer. If you need to cheat to get the results you want then why even bother. Actually no, sorry, I was wrong. look at the article. Its going to take a certain amount of calories for a certain person to perform a given amount of work in a given time. My W/Kg has gone from 3.76 to 3.97 without me really improving my FTP. Im the opposite. Wow, cheating !! 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. 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 dont know why this is, but i dont care one bit if people are cheating. Which brings me to todays topic: reverse weight doping. There is no cat C rider at 58kg who has a hope in hell of beating me in any race. Why dont you start self-regulating then? A great challenge for those looking for those training gains. This would cover submission and review of a private video showing height and weight which would result in a check mark on ZP showing this rider was height/weight verified. It 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. This community-driven site is maintained by Eric Schlange and a team of Zwift enthusiasts. Problem solved! 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). I dont really race so I am OK and any workouts are harder this way. 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 . I have just accepted that at my height I will always be heavier than the average cyclist. So I just bumped myself up to the B group and went faster overall simply because there were faster people to draft off of. 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. Nice work! Id say physics does! EZ and self regulating. I once made myself much heavier so I could compete against my 11-year-old son in a head to head Zwift climbing race. 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). Zwift excessively rewards the athlete for being light and small. 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. 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. The guy who got first weighs 106kg on strava but 45kg and only 411 on zwift. Zwift How-To: Adjusting Your Trainer Difficulty | Zwift 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. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). 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.