Currently trying to convince a friend who is new to Zwift not to reverse weight dope. 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 . I don't think you can do it from the game itself. But the vast majority do not. Would achieve the same thing. 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. .Personally I one of the outliers on height and weight. Knowing when to go hard and having the fitness to do so are also vital skills.). 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. 240W 50kg riders (4.8W/kg) beat 380W 95kg riders in B category Tempus Fugit time trials. Im using a quarq crank power meter on my rock and roll while I save up for direct drive. Choose a Zwift workout, but before you start riding look at the workout breakdown on the left side of the screen. We may call it sandbagging or reversed weight doping but its legal . Ive seen many A Riders with 300 FTP on Zwift who I beat by a HUGE MARGIN at triathlon events, including the cycling portion. . I hopeRead more . This is especially true if you are trying to ride with riders you possibly know locally or otherwise. Thats not what I recall at all, everything is a race, even if you werent aware . 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. 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. This covers name changes as well as weight/height changes during an event. Bump your Zwift weight up to 84kg and even with your new and improved 260-watt FTP youre only at 3.1 w/kg! I rarely race, don't care. And atRead more . The only trouble is the downhill doesnt take as long of course, so the light advantage is obviously better. , 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. EZ and self regulating. I got my 100kph badge on the Bologna course. How-To: Adjusting the Difficulty of a Workout | Zwift You will receive a verification email shortly. 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. It this fair? Its more fun and engaging that way, for me at least. 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. Obviously, these are generally accepted rules in the Zwift Community. 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. A thank you to Zwift HQ for listening to the feedback from the racing community and taking action. 2 yr. ago. Garmin Forerunner 265/265S In-Depth Review: AMOLED in Two Sizes! Connecting to ZwiftPower - Zwift Support Maybe they should display and categorise HR as a %age? Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Bob, what on earth is that all about? Future state can add a nominal cost to said license to support clean racing via Zwift tech updates. I should mention: many Zwifters have lied about their in-game weight for perfectly acceptable reasons. Last week we announced Zwifts plans to remove rider height and weight from ZwiftPower, among other changes (read the full post here). 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 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. I mean youve both got a point. 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. Light guys have the advantage on the hills, in the sprints, and because they have a higher w/kg, the flats too even if my absolute watts are significantly higher. Fact ! Im older heavier and relativily fit. I have no idea. Great article, Eric. 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. But youre not affecting anyone elses experience. If I get down to 52 kilos I can climb well but my sprinting is terrible. was the lowest of top 15 riders. This calculates that this heavy rider would take 23:14 to do the distance a justRead more , Everyone has a sweet spot for weight. Makes me happy to see that the community is able to speak with one voice if necessary. I have been frustrated with the GC results in the current Tour of Watopia series. However, I definitely recommend entering some races. It's possible to check just about any kind of Zwift result using ZwiftPower, with the website sortable by leagues, race series and segments. My 3 race FTP is at 4.07w/kg (248w @ 61kg), but Im still in Cat B. Heres how it works. In real life, Id dust that guy. 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. Similar to the announcement of the European Super League in soccer, Zwift failed to read the room. LOL. Im new to Zwift and its racing and what I like notice is how well I do compared to theRead more , This is not just about cheating. But youre training and racing and getting stronger, and eventually your FTP improves to 260 watts, which is 3.25 w/kg. 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. My power is often in the top few. IRL I am 85kgs and cant pretend to be 65kgs. It all has to do with the way Zwift's racing categories work. 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. I rode outside last night, and Im sure I will again soon. Secondly, Zwifts statement says they agree there is a need for tools that deliver greater transparency to Zwift racing. Thats good to see, and we completely agree! I have tended to notice that a significant number of powerful zwifters real world Strava performances pale in comparison to their online achievements. There are two ways to do this. Well, imagine youre a strong C racer. How big of a problem is reverse weight doping? You lose 10 liters of sweat during a medium long ride? Same reason there are categories and age group races outdoors! Can someone answer why we need the different categories? triathlon). . With racer categories? Also a really frustrating thing is why doesnt Zwift autoRead more , is he riding in the right category? 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. Im not heavy (68kg), have a typical climber/TT phenotype (no short sprint but good FTP). Click on the Settings button and you'll find the Trainer Difficulty slider. As soon as there is a single bit of flat cheerio! This community-driven site is maintained by Eric Schlange and a team of Zwift enthusiasts. Ive been on a mission to get back to my racing weight in 2020. 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." Work over time is work over time. 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 . There is no cat C rider at 58kg who has a hope in hell of beating me in any race. They are not, and never were, skill classes of any kind (ie. Other planned changes communicated last week, including plans to improve the reporting features in Zwift will be rolled out as planned. Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, 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. I think a once-weekly weigh-in is acceptable. Zwift How-To: Adjusting Your Trainer Difficulty | Zwift Leave the setting unchanged and climbs often feel challenging. I have just accepted that at my height I will always be heavier than the average cyclist. I am currently 145kg and have not experienced any bullying so far. If it is.. someone must be able to point me to the rule where it says that it is forbidden..? I have been light and I have been heavy. look at the article. Food for thought. Mike, Great article as ever Eric. 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. Head to http://my.zwift.com/ and hover your mouse cursor over the 'Download' button under one of your activities. 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. 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. Is a very strong rider for his age and trains hard. You'll receive a four-digit code, which you'll then have to add to your. ZwiftPower Height & Weight Changes Postponed | Zwift Insider 2022 Race Like A Pro. 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. otherwise no way in hell hes beating you. Too heavy watts are up but watts per kilo goes down. It's a real community hub. there seems to be a lot of variability in power products and what people are using to feed into zwift. I recently won a C race, but it didnt feel like winning as I knew there were 2 categories faster. A strict w/kg classification isnt perfect. What anyone wants in any game or competition is to feel its fair, and as they look to make changes going forward, I hope people at Zwift always keep asking themselves this question: How can Zwifters see these races are fair?. This is pretty timely for me as my FTP is 283 and my weight is currently 71.2kg. We like this move from Zwift. (Example: if your FTP is 300 watts and you weigh 75kg, your FTP w/kg would be 300/75, or 4 w/kg.). 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. What you see a lot are riders who are (claiming) to be really light with decent but not exceptional watts. So what! We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices. Everyone races at the same weight/height. You can record your weight n height n have it verified by experts etc up to five minutes before an event. Then lets stop with all athletic competition! This is real frustrating as hes a top u12 racer and wants to see his efforts recognise. Just the fact that you need a third party (ZP) to validate race results really says it all. In reality no under 12 is competing with a decent 2nd or 3rd cat (UK system) Ive ridden with enough talented youth riders that this is fact so letting young kids crush half decent amateurs on zwift would be unrealistic. 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. In fact, if in a long ride your weight could change by more than 1kg over the course of that one ride!!! Mate youre a legend. 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. I take issue with the weight doping is okay in none competitive events because of strava. Zwift: your complete guide: Everything you need to know - BikeRadar I know Ive done it! I was told that was possible but I couldnt see how. 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. Cheapest Zwift setup: Everything to help you onto Zwift for the first time Taking weight out of the equation you could just make everyones avatar moving forward by holding down the up arrow on their keyboard. 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. 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. At least I can be best in one thing on zwiftpower. 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). Hide the weight who cares let them upgrade all the way to As where you have strict reporting requirements. If you set your weight high enough that you fail to do well you will drop in the categories. Bath Ugh! 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 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. We can name and shame these few. In the many B races i have done it was more fun because i was competitive. I completely missed these as I reinvented the wheel, trying to stir up the hornets nest on the Zwift forums the other day. Zwift should take accountability for what matters most to start with and thats the cheaters. It's a bit more complicated than most website sign-ups, but now you'll be all ready to get started. Congratulations John on your retirement and Zwift is a great retirement present. You should do much better at your actual weight in that case. Noob question though, whats the etiquette around weighing with kit on or off. If it still doesn't work email zwiftpower@zwift.com and they should be able to sort. 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 just got upgraded to CAT A according to zwiftpower. Other than that, I rarely look at weight unless some results are very weird. On Zwift Power categories have both a wattage requirement and a w/kg requirement. The categories are the cycling equivalent to weight classes in boxing. On Zwift I look suspicous. I am 65 kg with FTP of 270 W, which equlas 4,15 w/kg. Totally agree with you. there's a million and 1 reasons why it is not a legitimate sport. 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. When I go outdoors I go on a trail bike and bring a backpack full of food and drink for a several hours ride. Since we know that lighter weight=higher virtual speed, this is a very easy way to cheat the system on Zwift. 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. Well, its adding weight to gain an advantage. I am always passed by everyone on the way up but can usually catch up on the way down (190cm/93kg). would that be cheating then ? Im sure it happens, but I would guess its pretty rare certainly less of a problem than normal weight doping. Read on for our guide on how the app works, how to get set up, and how to analyse your racing. Or weight bonuses for completing events that last for a set amount of days or even hours. Zwift should offer a Validated Racer package for a slight premium over normal membership. Ride On. 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. 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. 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. bottom line for me, its a virtual training world, a virtual hammer isnt the same as a real hammer. I have heard women admit on social rides that their zwift weight is their goal weightRead more . 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. I have to say I weigh myself most mornings in the buff (just my glasses on so I can see the numbers)! I have seen riders weighting 56 kgs and week later they are 35 kgs. You have lowered your weight and skewed your power graph so it is inaccurate. We are new to Zwift and My son Whos 12 has used it to race to make up for his list u12 crit season. What is that!?! how do i change my weight on zwift power - lakenlooks.com Why can we just all race together and the fastest person wins? My weight is showing orange everytime. indispensabile essere sinceri nel dichiarare il proprio peso , per se stessi e per il rispetto degli altri . Exactly, although As arent that regulated, unless you hit the premier class, which is a very small section of A riders. Nailed it. I started zwifting about 2 1/2 months ago.I did the ftp test and put in the correct weight.Ive no idea how precise my trainer is tho.what i do know is,Ive managed to go from cat c to a. One question I have struggled to answer though which maybe is not a consideration is that on the flat watts is what is required and I also have to push high wkg to stay with groups. Hopefully ZHQ will take a harder look the changes that have been proposed over the past year or so. Why we are treating this differently from actual racing? Best Zwift setups: Indoor cycling setups to give you the competitive edge. Everything you need to know about the third-party Zwift results and analysis website. Some weight dopers are obvious and blatant other times its much less egregious. How come I get beat in sprints when a 60kg guy puts out 700W, when I put out over 1000W at 76kg? If you need to cheat to get the results you want then why even bother. See how you can support Zwift Insider! Racing the As resp. 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. What do you include in your Zwift weight? : r/Zwift - reddit I think he is referring to the 2021 Haute Route GC (or lack thereof), Sorry, thats right, it was the Haute Route 2021 events. 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. Certainly it impacts the accuracy of race performance and results. 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. You could attend races where all categories go together (same start, all riders visible) for a while if you find that to be more fun Heres an idea: Take weigh out of the equation. 2022 Primr RWB League - Cycling Ireland eRacing Winter League. Take one of our four FTP tests to determine your FTP. however 2 riders at the same w/kg, heavier riders have the advantage on flats & descents: https://zwiftinsider.com/wkg-tests/. I know its just virtual but my godi hope they enjoy their lies. The other race, events, and activities are needed to display that data. Eric runs Zwift Insider in his spare time when he isn't on the bike or managing various business interests. 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. In fact, the only riders at or below my w/kg were minutes off the back. What particularly annoys me is being beaten by light but moderately powerful riders doing individual time trials on flat courses. But many people (including myself) prefer categorized races because we want to have a chance to actually battle it out for a win. Most of my ZwiftRead more . All this makes me laugh. 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. 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. 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. Whatever your answer, some people will never like it, but there has to be a clear, credible answer for the majority to support. You only change it in Zwift and it should get picked up with regular backend processing periodically (maybe overnight). 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. Although does WTRL encourage reverse weight doping? IMHO, enforcing in-category entry for races will be a quick, easy and effective change. How doRead more . If they keep riders from competing in categories below their ranking, it will reduce the number of sandbaggers and cruisers. Just short of my 68th birthday I still dont see any point in cheating. 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). 2022 SNOW Sprint Series Some people are clearly living in a fantasy on zwift. Id never do this as my Zwift Power is an accurate log of weight and power but it does make me wonder how much easier itd be to be bigger. thanks for the help with the graphs. Hitting G on your keyboard will do it, or swipe up on iPhone or iPad, etc then tap the graph button. ZwiftPower: Your ultimate guide | Cyclingnews Contribute a post, shop through us, make a donation, advertise on this site. The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox! Perhaps if you post a W/kg in excess ofRead more , So thats why I could easily keep up with a 3-3.4wkg group yesterday whilst keeping my wattage at some 2.5-2.7just my 107kgs.the rest were probably featherweight category :) Included with this license agreement can be the approval to show height and weight. Blaming Zwift for eating disorders is not sensible. As Zwift racer James Eastwood so aptly put it, The community dont want to see peoples weight they want fair racing.. No race Chester worth their salt pops in and changed weight ahead of a race, what they do is post the wrong weight and leave it there. 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. 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. EDIT Found my answer: 250w, Theres a chart about halfway down this page: https://zwiftpower.com/viewtopic.php?f=68&t=5528. Their hr should also correspond, which they often dont. 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.