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. I am alleging that weight cheating is endemic in zwift, especially among those who care about winning. Fluctuations of a few percent would be tolerated and percent change would be displayed on ZP. I dont think any of my shorter (under 5ft10) running or cycling friends weights more than that. Id say physics does! 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. 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. Honest and goal driven. 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. His favourite races are Strade Bianche and the Volta a Portugal, and he rides a Colnago C40. Great article, Eric. Ive done multiple races where my main goal was to keep the watts as low as possible while hanging with the front group. They are not, and never were, skill classes of any kind (ie. Im in the same boat. If you were to meet meRead more . I put my real weight 95% of the time. 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." As soon as there is a single bit of flat cheerio! 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. Case in point: in the A race I mentioned, only one rider was heavier than my 85kg dad bod. https://zwiftpower.com/profile.php?z=697996. Living at 5,900 ft. adds a performance restriction on me, I get it. I do ZHR Masters on a Tuesday night. Why not only require weight and height for entry to A and B races? 2 Likes _Jynxy_EVO (:)) October 1, 2021, 1:41pm #8 thxs mike, Thanks Keep it on. 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. Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Hahahahaha. How does being heavier help a cyclist? you may ask. 2022 Race Like A Pro. Other than that, I rarely look at weight unless some results are very weird. If its not done during a competitive Zwift event, I dont see it as a problem. 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. ), So what is reverse weight doping? stop worrying about whatRead more . Todd_S (Todd S) March 12, 2015, 3:09am #4 I'm new to the app. nothing more. Weight doping is a key challenge for cycling esports to overcome, and its one reason why many big races (e.g., those with prize money) require riders to show up and weigh in on-location in a supervised environment. Eric runs Zwift Insider in his spare time when he isn't on the bike or managing various business interests. Check out this FAQ for some of our frequently asked questions: Q:&. Zwift excessively rewards the athlete for being light and small. Monthly weigh ins arent perfect but they are better than no weigh ins. 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 . Why no monitoring on this? Otherwise I stand by my comment. Or weight bonuses for completing events that last for a set amount of days or even hours. Why dont you start self-regulating then? Its more fun and engaging that way, for me at least. As Zwift racer James Eastwood so aptly put it, The community dont want to see peoples weight they want fair racing.. Once I hit 185 its either sit up and catch my breath of fall of the bike. The first way is to head into your profile. Racing the As resp. As a 96kg, 51 year old with an FTP of 317 and a resting HR of about 48 (and a theoretical maximum HR of 174) Im not sure why my lower HR during an event should seen as suspicious. Im 70 inches tall and 156 pounds right now vs 166lb on Jan 1. Zwift doesnt like this and disqualifies him on Zwift power. He lives in Northern California with his beautiful wife, two kids and dog. The issues with e-racing remain the same, and largely ignored for years now. Not true, at least not absolutely. IRead more , Aaron, do you know what is the wattage requirement for Cat A? 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.. There is no progression from lower to higher categories through placement. Why you can trust Cyclingnews The book Fast After 50 is a good read on how masters athletes can train more effectively. As soon as I start pedaling Im pretty much into threshold (around 170bpm). Race them if you want, but Rides like Tour de Zwift are not based on rider category, they are based on distance. Why we are treating this differently from actual racing? Zwif: your ultimate guide 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. The categories are the cycling equivalent to weight classes in boxing. In theory (at least) weight dopers could game the results based categories as well. Yes us heavier riders have the downhill advantage definitely. are clay hart and sally flynn still married; composite chart 12th house; tupperware party points; st francis of assisi school jobs Which brings me to todays topic: reverse weight doping. 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. Or theyll ride races 1-2 categories below their actual W/kg so they can still win and feel like that theyre legends. Then lets stop with all athletic competition! How many cyclists do you see in real life who are 65kgs, but they are ten a penny on Zwift. light guys categorically do NOT have an advantage on the flats vs heavier guys, assuming both riding at same w/kg, heavy guy WILL be going faster on Zwift. On the flats and descents she crushes her w/kg field. I know a woman who is 5 feet tall and almost 200lb. As some others already mentioned, the bodyweight tends to oscillate over the week and even the day. For the time being, height and weight will remain visible on ZwiftPower. Have you considered age category racing. 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. 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. It will not eliminate this behavior but the races will be much more realistic and enjoyable. Nekkid and I only update my weight in zwift if it moves more than a KG. Sandbagging is pointless if winning means youre going to move up (unless you want to take 3 months off after your win. Not everyone has the same HRmax. When I go outdoors I go on a trail bike and bring a backpack full of food and drink for a several hours ride. (Same effect in a sprint, just harder to isolate). Choose a Zwift workout, but before you start riding look at the workout breakdown on the left side of the screen. 2 yr. ago. I may try and snag a couple of cat C golds before taking the break, but definitely wont be reverse weight doping to do so the upgrade to B will be a bigger prize than any gold medal. bottom line for me, its a virtual training world, a virtual hammer isnt the same as a real hammer. .Personally I one of the outliers on height and weight. 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. We are new to Zwift and My son Whos 12 has used it to race to make up for his list u12 crit season. either a) ur starting ur sprint way too late or b) ur leading him out. 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. And this is why reverse weight doping is a thing. LOL. So am I a super-drafter, the king of indoor efficiency? ZwiftPower FAQ We're sure you have several questions about ZwiftPower and what it is. 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. There is no reason I should be gettingRead more , Sounds like its time to start racing the Bs, @guest_35522! w/kg is partially based on real world physics. A good rule we follow is to take our FTP divide it by 3 and then put that in as our weight (in Kilograms). It does not stop cheating at all. Would depend entirely upon the bike geometry, how much weight is over the front wheel and how much over the back. 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 power usually looks at numbers vs the category race he entered. 2. 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 some cases this even happens unfairly. The bottom line is that in any competition there will always be someone who wants to cheat to win.Read more . It's a bit more complicated than most website sign-ups, but now you'll be all ready to get started. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, If someone on zwift holds an avg power at a given heart rate, then goes out on the road and holds that same heart rate but cannot sustain even close to that power, I am sorry, but that isnt physiology; that is hardware. But I will, and Ill get hammered and hopefully improve. Using your Mac or PC, you can do it online on the Zwift website. He lives in Northern California with his beautiful wife, two kids and dog. If people want to cheat, they will and can do so in any uncontrolled situation. Ill remain skeptical until I see some actual changes. I rode outside last night, and Im sure I will again soon. Not sure why its hard for you to believe that there are a lot of riders under 70kgs. Zwift is great just to ride around and it has lots of good training sessions which you can do. 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. I mean youve both got a point. Contribute a post, shop through us, make a donation, advertise on this site. I got my 100kph badge on the Bologna course. . I don't think you can do it from the game itself. Cyclingnews is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. I did on one and second on the other. If the categories are split using purely w/kg a lighter rider doesnt have any advantage up the climbs at all. Would achieve the same thing. If youre a 300-pound dude who wants to go a little faster uphill as a virtual 200 pounder, have at it. Everyone races at the same weight/height. 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. 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. Last week I did the prl full and Uber pretzel and tried to get #1 by weight on those segments. Zwift should offer a Validated Racer package for a slight premium over normal membership. Noob question though, whats the etiquette around weighing with kit on or off. I dont care anyway. My power to weight is decent at about 4w/kg. Yes thats completely unacceptable, you should never be at a disadvantage at any time in your life, just as your mother raised you. You enter a real race,out in the world, you are ready to finish in the top 20 for your best result of your life,then out of the blue a dirt bike rides past you goes tabletop and crossesRead more . Is it doping though? 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 . Next up is the most finicky part of the process finding your Zwift ID in order to connect your accounts. The six-digit number highlighted in bold will be your Zwift ID. Id be super interested in the timing you set your weight. First, it shows that theyre listening to the community. Now in A i get dropped all the time. Then weigh yourself, and open Zwift, and see if it reflects the change. I think you can force it with the Refresh Profile button in your ZP Profile but again, not sure if that triggers it immediately or overnight. A strict w/kg classification isnt perfect. I dont mind the low HRs but the low power and high w/kg really irk me! As Ive posted elsewhere, I like having weight available at my fingertips so I can use it to plan the TTT rotation (I like going heavy/light/heavy/light to avoid the big guys pulling away on flats/descents or the little guys pulling away on climbs, plus one category of rider tends to get exhausted on any given route if I plan my pull times incorrectly, so its nice not having 2 people in a row suddenly need to skip a pull). I never thought i should weigh myself with my kit on. , Myself being a lighter rider who fluctuates some 2kg during a week I tend to always use my upper weight giving me a lower Wkg. 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. 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 . All the emphasis on physical metrics makes sense for putting together how speed is calculated but not how one can race. IMHO, enforcing in-category entry for races will be a quick, easy and effective change. He had fun laughing at fat dad, but I pipped him at the line! 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. Zwift Insider is independent of Zwift corporate (www.zwift.com), although Zwift does provide funding to help defray site costs. But what exactly is ZwiftPower and how does it work? Take one of our four FTP tests to determine your FTP. It just makes a mockery of the whole system. Threshold HR is around 151 bpm. How come I get beat in sprints when a 60kg guy puts out 700W, when I put out over 1000W at 76kg? Im glad you wrote about this. Just the fact that you need a third party (ZP) to validate race results really says it all. 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. That gives me more hope for the future of the platform than any announcement from Zwift ever could. Thats the graph. (and dont do organized rides for fairness) so I dont have resistance changes and sometimes zwift reports extraordinary power readings for a ride. As a Triathlete, I have a different perspective when racing and riding on Zwift because the vast majority of Zwifters (according to Zwift and Strava) are only cycling; whereas Im also training by Running and Swimming. 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. There was a problem. Its also why the Zwift Transparency Facebook group was created, where racers post videos of themselves weighing in using a particular protocol which makes it difficult to fake your numbers. Finally, just head back to ZwiftPower and click 'Connect to my Account'. 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. Daniel Ostanek is production editor at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired as staff writer. Some people, I think, just have a lower HR. would that be cheating then ? 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. How do you actually update your weight on ZP?? BA1 1UA. 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. It certainly didnt feel like I had taken it easy when IRead more . However, I was able to navigate to the settings page by doing the following. The only way for complete cheat free racing is in the zwift Pro race which is all done in a single room with all riders together. Hopefully ZHQ will take a harder look the changes that have been proposed over the past year or so. Would love your thoughts, please comment. No one is going to lose or gain 5kg overnight or shrink a 1cm.
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