His favourite races are Strade Bianche and the Volta a Portugal, and he rides a Colnago C40. Gain a few (virtual) pounds. Sure, easy! On Zwift, weight dopers seek to gain an advantage by entering a lower-than-life weight into their Zwift profile. The issues with e-racing remain the same, and largely ignored for years now. Thanks! In a race not in Zwift it is very easy for people to recongize who I am. But I get beaten by lots of other zwifters, even on flat courses. Just sign up for A races from now on. I currently weigh 59kgs but my BMI is 25 which technically overweight. I was going flat out the whole race, and by no means cruising along watching my watts. Taking weight out of the equation you could just make everyones avatar moving forward by holding down the up arrow on their keyboard. Ugh! Nekkid and I only update my weight in zwift if it moves more than a KG. I have a Withings scale and in the Zwift Settings, it shows up as connected. Exactly, although As arent that regulated, unless you hit the premier class, which is a very small section of A riders. Noob question though, whats the etiquette around weighing with kit on or off. For example the threshold for cat B is FTP over 200 watts and over 3.2 w/kg. 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. 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 its not Zwift putting you at a disadvantage but the situation itself, just as you would be in the real world in that situation. Check out this FAQ for some of our frequently asked questions: Q:&. Whether w/kg is the appropriate way to categorise races is anotherRead more , As a 92kg rider, with a w/kg FTP of 289 (or 3.14 w/kg) I wholeheartedly agree. 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. Ive been on a mission to get back to my racing weight in 2020. There is no reason I should be gettingRead more , Sounds like its time to start racing the Bs, @guest_35522! The bottom line is that in any competition there will always be someone who wants to cheat to win.Read more . Sandbagging is pointless if winning means youre going to move up (unless you want to take 3 months off after your win. 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. indispensabile essere sinceri nel dichiarare il proprio peso , per se stessi e per il rispetto degli altri . And one cheater leads to another and its an arms race of gaming the game. Thats the graph. Hahahahaha. This calculates that this heavy rider would take 23:14 to do the distance a justRead more , Everyone has a sweet spot for weight. With my question answered as to what I should pick for my next race, Id delete my original post if I could, but I cannot figure out how. On a flat ride I would beat every sub 60kg cat B rider too. But it highlights a bigger problem, and that is the fundamental flaw of using watts per kilo for race categorization. Zwift lets you adjust the difficulty of your workout, before or even during your ride. It's a real community hub. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. My power to weight is decent at about 4w/kg. Heres how it works. He had fun laughing at fat dad, but I pipped him at the line! Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. 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. How about simply showing a percentage variance. As long as the button to enter a lower cat is active, riders will Press It. Category systems are complex beasts, of course, I agree, people can have fun with weight doping and such aslong they dont enter competitive races. 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. That's pretty straightforward the usual email, username, password, terms and conditions so you won't have any trouble with this step. Blaming Zwift for allowing cheaters is the system problem that gets more people frustrated, upset, etc. Thats the reason why a results category would be more interesting like Erics suggested in his topic. Other than that, I rarely look at weight unless some results are very weird. Wow, cheating !! If there are problems, Zwift already has a reporting function and everything is recorded police that properly andRead more . Im not heavy (68kg), have a typical climber/TT phenotype (no short sprint but good FTP). My power to weight ratio would be the same, but Id get the benefits you get from being a heavier rider. 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. At all. The winners are almost always people with recorded weights sub 70kgs, more typically 65kgs, even 59! I don't think you can do it from the game itself. When you're in the game, click "Menu". 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. Zwift is great just to ride around and it has lots of good training sessions which you can do. If you are on the lighter side, try picking some climbing races. Im the opposite. He lives in Northern California with his beautiful wife, two kids and dog. Hide the weight who cares let them upgrade all the way to As where you have strict reporting requirements. EDIT Found my answer: 250w, Theres a chart about halfway down this page: https://zwiftpower.com/viewtopic.php?f=68&t=5528. 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. Is it doping though? 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. Some races (many, in fact) on Zwift work exactly like that. More of an issue than thisRead more . It's possible to check just about any kind of Zwift result using ZwiftPower, with the website sortable by leagues, race series and segments. As some others already mentioned, the bodyweight tends to oscillate over the week and even the day. Updating Your Public Profile Zwift takes your physical measurements into account for things like leaderboards, speed, and your avatar's physical appea. Zwift doesnt like this and disqualifies him on Zwift power. I completely missed these as I reinvented the wheel, trying to stir up the hornets nest on the Zwift forums the other day. You should do much better at your actual weight in that case. In IRL there is a double draft. Why no monitoring on this? 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. Though our intent is to protect potentially vulnerable users by removing labels that can trigger unhealthy behaviour What are they trying to protect? Hi Using HRM is difficult as well as you max HRM changes with age mine is 159 flat out but I am over 60. look at the article. If you gave the power, it will come out. Mate youre a legend. 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. 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. Or weight bonuses for completing events that last for a set amount of days or even hours. As long as youre being honest with yourself I wouldnt worry about it too much. With racer categories? Most of my ZwiftRead more . My guess is that another reason some do it, is because it gives you points on zwiftpower, becauseRead more . I am a long time racer in NorCal and cheating is cheating. 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. 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. Even at my age I still plan to compete in MTB races when the world gets back to racing. Blaming Zwift for eating disorders is not sensible. You will receive a verification email shortly. It would be easy to deny it was intentional. Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts. I just we had a better system than category limits, racing license anybody? You do you. I have wondered about this subject on a few occasions. Theres a bit of a fuss on the ZP forums at the moment about this form of sandbagging where people deliberately ride within the w/kg limits but are riding well below their potential ability. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). bottom line for me, its a virtual training world, a virtual hammer isnt the same as a real hammer. IfRead more . Certainly it impacts the accuracy of race performance and results. Congratulations John on your retirement and Zwift is a great retirement present. Once you have a number for your FTP in watts, divide it by your weight in kilograms. Yes, we need to be categorized by our race ranking, not power. Im surprised that (off wheel) smart trainers dont have the ability to weigh the rider when they get on the bike. 0.5kg discrepancy either side is actually quite small. My W/Kg has gone from 3.76 to 3.97 without me really improving my FTP. i was just having a similar discussion with my old lady about watts and weights, etc. Using your Mac or PC, you can do it online on the Zwift website. hanging with the front group is very though for me because i am exactly at the bridge between A and B. It just makes a mockery of the whole system. Im glad you wrote about this. How many cyclists do you see in real life who are 65kgs, but they are ten a penny on Zwift. 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. I did on one and second on the other. If its not done during a competitive Zwift event, I dont see it as a problem. Im about to end up in the same situation (last races at 3.99, 3.98 and 3.99 W/kg) and Im not really worried about being promoted to A. I am always passed by everyone on the way up but can usually catch up on the way down (190cm/93kg). The categories are power to weight divisions. Zwift Insider is independent of Zwift corporate (www.zwift.com), although Zwift does provide funding to help defray site costs. I should mention: many Zwifters have lied about their in-game weight for perfectly acceptable reasons. Note how he wins races while his max HR is around 30 beats below his maximum. Keep it on. Thank you for signing up to The Pick. Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. I never thought i should weigh myself with my kit on. Choose a Zwift workout, but before you start riding look at the workout breakdown on the left side of the screen. Some people, I think, just have a lower HR. 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. You only change it in Zwift and it should get picked up with regular backend processing periodically (maybe overnight). 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. Absolutely impossible. Makes me happy to see that the community is able to speak with one voice if necessary. They CANNOT win. Their hr should also correspond, which they often dont. Youve got people putting out 5+ watts/kilo atRead more . Yes, smaller riders have less frontal area, but the difference in CdA isnt that much. Put simply, ZwiftPower is a community-driven website that complements the Zwift app. Hardly true Say you train and commit yourself to being honest to achieve better fitness,and also better results, albeit virtually..then someone finishes better than you solely because of the BS numbers they entered. Too heavy watts are up but watts per kilo goes down. 240W 50kg riders (4.8W/kg) beat 380W 95kg riders in B category Tempus Fugit time trials. I understand if someone has a banner day or just bumped up out of upper C to lower B. I dont really race so I am OK and any workouts are harder this way. 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. The COVID-19 lockdown period, now in its third month around the world, has seen an unprecedented boom in virtual cycling. You'll receive a four-digit code, which you'll then have to add to your. 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. Great article, Eric. I have just accepted that at my height I will always be heavier than the average cyclist. Cheapest Zwift setup: Everything to help you onto Zwift for the first time Kudos to Zwift for listening to their customers and admitting they made a mistake. In fact, you can change a workout on Zwift about as fast as you can U-turn a bicycle on a real hill. But It doesnt mean that that person is going to be the person riding the bike on the trainer during the race does it. If people want to cheat, they will and can do so in any uncontrolled situation. 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. High intensity: 30/30 and 40/20sec Rnnestad intervals like 3x (10x40/20sec). (I dont recommend this approach, but it proves the point that weight doping is an issue that concerns many Zwift racers. I have tended to notice that a significant number of powerful zwifters real world Strava performances pale in comparison to their online achievements. In order to ride with him I have to drop my weight to allow me to keep up. Skinny guys get DQd if they match heavies on the flat for power so they can NEVER win, even in the mountains. If you need to cheat to get the results you want then why even bother. Hes asking for a fair race. 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. 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. My solution would make everyones chances equal, while yours would strongly favor heavy riders. I rode outside last night, and Im sure I will again soon. 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. I have no idea. 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. Share your thoughts below! This raised concerns within the Zwift Racing Community regarding fairness in racing. I think that point based system is an improvement, but it doesnt address the weight issue. 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. Click on the Settings button and you'll find the Trainer Difficulty slider. Weight doping is only a serious issue when its done in competition. There is no progression from lower to higher categories through placement. The categorization system is, like you say, fundamentally flawed. I have climbed well and I have suffered on climbs but also sprinted well. 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 . Race them if you want, but Rides like Tour de Zwift are not based on rider category, they are based on distance. Keep writing this sort of thing. Yes, there are plenty of variabies, but power is power. 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. I now know of over 20 category D zwift users that have said theyre not going to bother with the Zwift races anymore. Level 50. Since strava is all that matters of course. stop worrying about whatRead more . Have you considered drinking during a race? 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. Do you believe weight doping (reverse or otherwise) is a big problem in Zwift racing, and if so, what can be done about it? ), So what is reverse weight doping? There is no cat C rider at 58kg who has a hope in hell of beating me in any race. Id be super interested in the timing you set your weight. Otherwise I stand by my comment. Updating Your Privacy Settings in Zwift Companion To update your default privacy settings, sign in to the Zwift Companion (ZC) app on your iOS or Andro. But the vast majority do not. Privacy Policy, How to Race on Zwift (Setup, Strategy, and More). On Zwift Power categories have both a wattage requirement and a w/kg requirement. LOL. And flags height and weight changes if they go up or down alot. We are new to Zwift and My son Whos 12 has used it to race to make up for his list u12 crit season. 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. When I go outdoors I go on a trail bike and bring a backpack full of food and drink for a several hours ride. 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. 2 Likes _Jynxy_EVO (:)) October 1, 2021, 1:41pm #8 thxs mike, Food for thought. Unless a youth rider, height is generally going to remain the same. 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). 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. 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. 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. You make a good pointthere isnt a published race ruleset that clearly states that riders are 1) required to use accurate weight and 2) enter the correct race category. Shame I cant edit my post for the horrendous spelling and autocorrect gaffes. (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 havent even used my road bike outdoors since 2012. You can record your weight n height n have it verified by experts etc up to five minutes before an event. Any thoughts on verifying? I am 42 years-old with a HRmax of ~169 bpm. I hopeRead more . Now in A i get dropped all the time. Bath This is how racing is supposed to work. It certainly didnt feel like I had taken it easy when IRead more . I am alleging that weight cheating is endemic in zwift, especially among those who care about winning. I rarely race, don't care. Cyclingnews is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. I would suggest a free (for now) virtual race license that would outline racer behavior with consequences. A good portion of that weight difference is in the Hub's 10.3 . In spectacular and shocking fashion. why because of weight, not power. it's a good training tool. I dont know why this is, but i dont care one bit if people are cheating. 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. If so, that makes sense to me and I can absolutely see the point of that. For the time being, height and weight will remain visible on ZwiftPower. (Example: if your FTP is 300 watts and you weigh 75kg, your FTP w/kg would be 300/75, or 4 w/kg.). Zwif: your ultimate guide Im using a quarq crank power meter on my rock and roll while I save up for direct drive. My 3.9w/kg (a new PR!) Id say physics does! You weigh 80kg and have an FTP of 248 watts, which works out to 3.1 w/kg. 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. Why can we just all race together and the fastest person wins? would that be cheating then ? Last week we announced Zwifts plans to remove rider height and weight from ZwiftPower, among other changes (read the full post here). https://zwiftpower.com/profile.php?z=697996. How do you actually update your weight on ZP?? Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts. Now head back to ZwiftPower, click 'Connect' at the top of the page, then enter your Zwift ID in the box when prompted. All rights reserved. As far as my weight goes the only thing I care about is being as accurate as I can to get accurate results.