I have to say I weigh myself most mornings in the buff (just my glasses on so I can see the numbers)! Every one would be riding to the same resistance setting that would be a game changer, Hello! The race categories end up looking something like this (taken from the current Tour of Watopia race events): ZwiftPower, home of official race results for community races, adds some pure wattage breakpoints to the above list to help lightweight riders stay competitive. link to 719ride.com The issue is the Garmin workouts are HR centric and the Zwift app is Power/FTP based. Zwift Power to Weight Ratio Calculator - FasCat Coaching Some of the reasons I’ve 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 don’t race in real life – I don’t do workouts in real life – Changing wind – Threat of a headwind on my home journey And the biggest: – Wanting… Read more », Agree with the above. Cookie Notice Neither of us go in to settings and the level is normally set at default 50%. Or they’ll ride races 1-2 categories below their actual W/kg so they can still “win” and feel like that they’re legends. Since all of those factors ultimately result in that single number (brake torque), it would allow for simpler design of trainers and for Zwift and its competitors to bring in sorts of different factors that they might imagine to make the experience more like IRL. But then you could have someone in the same age group who maxes out at 170. Everything you need to know about the third-party Zwift results and analysis website. Daniel Ostanek is production editor at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired as staff writer. Current category system simply allows very fast but heavy riders to race in categories lower than their actual abilities. The right box contains active fields. Yes, but hopefully the system would be designed so, if drop a category then begin doing well, you get upgraded again! Where this is particularly relevant is on steep hills. Reddit, Inc. © 2023. And at… Read more ». But then you have cheaters who will enter lower values. If other people want to obsess about my weight that’s up to them but I won’t. Hi Using HRM is difficult as well as you max HRM changes with age mine is 159 flat out but I am over 60. But maybe I’m just thinking like a lady… it’s hard for me to imagine a lady voluntarily gaining weight, even virtual weight. Not the same as enabling ERG mode. 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 I’m also training by Running and Swimming. So it’s not Zwift putting you at a disadvantage but the situation itself, just as you would be in the real world in that situation. I’m 70 inches tall and 156 pounds right now vs 166lb on Jan 1. Increasing your trainer difficulty, on the other hand, will force you to use more gears. Some people, I think, just have a lower HR. was the lowest of top 15 riders. It doesn’t affect sprinting on flat ground, but it would certainly affect it on inclines or declines. I take issue with the weight doping is okay in none competitive events because of strava. Now head back to ZwiftPower, click 'Connect' at the top of the page, then enter your Zwift ID in the box when prompted. Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts. Last week I did the prl full and Uber pretzel and tried to get #1 by weight on those segments. Increasing your trainer difficulty, on the other hand, will force you to use more gears. eRacing is now a thing. This setting is really a “gradient scale.” Zwift is constantly sending current gradient numbers to your smart trainer, and the trainer adjusts its resistance to match the gradient you are riding. How come I’m not able to adjust Trainer difficulty when I´m using AppleTv or iPad? 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,I’ve managed to go from cat c to a. New to Zwift so getting caught up on all the settings and features. points based), riders can win by any margin any number of times and remain in their category so long as they do not exceed category limits. TrainingPeaks Metrics - How to enter Weight, HRV, Sleep, etc However, I have a lighter and faster son that smokes me head to head. Zwift: your complete guide: Everything you need to know - BikeRadar Ride On. The trainers that I used couldn’t have been set properly. It does the job as described. Why don’t I feel the cobblestones, dirt, or wooden planks when I ride Zwift? I always let the setup at 50%. Zwift’s help video says: This adjustment won’t change how far or fast you ride, but it will change how climbs feel…. Some big Zwift races have specific rulesets, etc. If you're on Zwift and planning to get racing, then signing up to the third-party app ZwiftPower is an essential step. I should mention: many Zwifters have “lied” about their in-game weight for perfectly acceptable reasons. Mate you’re a legend. As soon as I start pedaling I’m pretty much into threshold (around 170bpm). We are both lighter riders and find the w/kg categorisation system frustrating (unfair even)… but it’s 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 if… Read more ». Are your power numbers accurate? Take a quick test. - Zwift Insider In the end, watts are watts, and your Trainer Difficulty setting doesn’t change the power needed to cover any particular stretch of Zwift tarmac. When I started Zwifting about two years ago I didn’t have a clue about TD and it took me a while before I became aware of it. Thank you! The only way to change the kinematic relationship between… Read more ». Racing ZwiftPower Community. That's pretty straightforward – the usual email, username, password, terms and conditions – so you won't have any trouble with this step. 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. Yesterday I had to do 2.5-3W/Kg 200-220W to stay in a group who were 1.5-2W/Kg. 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 doesn’t allude to it, in that on the flat Zwift won’t use w/kg to drive speed but your pure watts. However, insecure Fred’s jumping… Read more », I am new to Zwift, but I do wonder how it is you’ll see a bunch of people finish at the front of a D race at 4-5 W/kg. Power to Weight Ratio. Garmin Training Status Now Includes Zwift, TrainerRoad, The Sufferfest ... r/Zwift - ZwiftPower is removing height and weight. What do y'all think ... How big of a problem is reverse weight doping? Now I know it is a ‘thing’. I… Read more », Aaron, do you know what is the wattage requirement for Cat A? Zwift More and more features are continuously being added to. You can trust Cyclingnews My ftp is 270. You’ve got people putting out 5+ watts/kilo at… Read more ». Give it a try and tweak the setting until it feels good to you. I missed that note. I think much of this isn’t cheating, it’s just people set their weight once as a guess when they first get Zwift, then never touch it again. I believe that a way to increase overall resistance or a virtual shifting feature would help out a lot of riders who are not using road… Read more ». 49 92 comments Add a Comment Mrjlawrence • 1 yr. ago my weight hasn't moved more than 4lbs above or below 173 in years. Don’t 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). It's possible to check just about any kind of Zwift result using ZwiftPower, with the website sortable by leagues, race series and segments. Manually change your weight in Zwift by adding 10 pounds. I;m using a elite direto bike trainer and set the difficulty up to 100% but I don’t feel nothing. You weigh 80kg and have an FTP of 248 watts, which works out to 3.1 w/kg. This is not supposed to… Read more ». I have a Withings scale and in the Zwift Settings, it shows up as connected. I put my real weight 95% of the time. In fact, the only riders at or below my w/kg were minutes off the back. Zwift power usually looks at numbers vs the category race he entered. How do I connect my VeloCore bike to the Zwift® app? Perhaps this setting is too complicated for me…and if so, and the reasoning below is incorrect, I’d love to get a _mathematical_ explanation for the setting. I would guess an elite drivo ll is going to be happier at 9% than a flux S at the same even though both are capable? Click to subscribe. thanks in advance Bicycles in the real world have a fully kinematically coupled drivetrain in the forward going direction. Weight doping is only a serious issue when it’s done in competition. Finally, just head back to ZwiftPower and click 'Connect to my Account'. Its a simple solution, it's fair, and it requires no modification of the client applications. I don’t have the gearing on my Wattbike to get up Alpe du Zwift on 100% trainer difficulty, so are you suggesting I don’t bother? It’s really not fair to anyone to have an inaccurate weight set and cheats your own training. I’m curious to see this summer if I can do the numbers outdoors as I push out on Zwift but I can’t even think of a road to use for 30 mins without stop signs, pot holes, lots of traffic, etc. What am I missing here? In races, one can have benefit changing TD and… Read more ». Gain a few (virtual) pounds. They will still be shitty people and they will do shitty things, until Zwift actually enforce some community acceptable behavior policy. You don’t buy a car and redline it everyday if you want years of troublefree use. It’s more fun and engaging that way, for me at least. 12. It affects the feedback. It’s the same outside! Eric, Press Start Workout. Here are 15 mistakes I made when first starting out. should i just get a bigger cassette and call it an investment for the bigger routes to come. 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 to… Read more », Not sure it’s 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. It's also possible to filter results and data by categories, such as different age or power ranges. The product of velocity x force = work Power being constant and weight set correctly, no difference would occur. I may try it just to see what difference it makes. “Trainer Difficulty” really is a misleading name for the setting. This is pretty timely for me as my FTP is 283 and my weight is currently 71.2kg. If someone dopes so they do 4w/kg then they should be racing with other people who do 4w/kg. That’s the reason why a results category would be more interesting like Eric’s suggested in his topic. Hey Eric, Thanks for this article. The other 30 or so had the same weight for years. And besides, my main goal on Zwift is to not get dropped in the hills during Team Cryo-Gens more hardcore Saturday rides! I was watching a YouTuber “Everything is Photogenic” and from her critique of Trainer Difficulty I feel confident in referring to the setting as VIR “Variable Inertial Realism” . If… Read more ». Any suggestions? It's a bit more complicated than most website sign-ups, but now you'll be all ready to get started. 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. The bottom line is that in any competition there will always be someone who wants to cheat to win.… Read more ». Thinking it's the same as an outdoor race. When I go outdoors I go on a trail bike and bring a backpack full of food and drink for a several hours ride. Thanks This is real frustrating as he’s a top u12 racer and wants to see his efforts recognise. Six things I learned testing gravel shoes, British bike brand Planet X set to enter administration, official documents suggest, Critérium du Dauphiné: Julian Alaphilippe sprints to victory on stage 2, By Simone Giuliani, Jackie TysonMay 30, 2023. I hit much better powers on Sufferfest on anything form 1 to 30sec. All rights reserved. Check out this FAQ for some of our frequently asked questions: Q:&. Or they’ll ignore leaders instructions and ride off the front of a group (flyers). What do you include in your Zwift weight? : r/Zwift - Reddit In the last month or so I have signed up to ZwiftPower to race online with my bike club. Click to subscribe. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. One turn of the pedals results in a certain number of rotations of the rear wheel due to the kinematics of the drivetrain. I have already paired with bluetooth and the Controllable trainer. 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. In order to ride with him I have to drop my weight to allow me to keep up. 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. The feeling in climbs is much easier at previous speed, the difference is huge. Good heavens man, the sentence before “You do you” says “If it’s not done during a competitive Zwift event, I don’t see it as a problem.” Obviously weight doping in races is cheating and not acceptable. Some Zwifters go so far as to social-stalk other riders, comparing their photos to their Zwift weight and calling them out for weight doping. If I ride this bike on the street it feels like riding Zwift in the 700-100 watt range. Zwift Insider is independent of Zwift corporate (www.zwift.com), although Zwift does provide funding to help defray site costs. Throw many of your real-world ideas out the . (Incidentally, power is in watts. Go to settings. Kinematics describes the physical operation of the drivetrain without consideration of any forces. This covers name changes as well as weight/height changes during an event. Five moments that defined the 2023 Giro d'Italia, The epic battle for the 2023 Giro d'Italia: Stunning images of the final weekend, Lachlan Morton: Gravel is changing, that's not a bad thing, Philippa York Analysis: Roglic, redemption and the valley of death, Brendan Johnston: A 15 year pro-racing quest with a gravel resolution, Twenty seconds of panic – Primoz Roglic defies mechanical to win Giro d’Italia, The dilemma of the UCI's transgender policy - David Lappartient interview, Unbound Gravel and the evolution of gravel bikes. I am new to Zwifting, however, not new to riding and I know what speed I am capable of riding. What did I do wrong? Hi, very impressive w/kg at 65. So in workouts (training- FTP tests,and plans, etc..) I do not need to shift- Zwift will automatically take care of that..,…however in Routes in Watopia, etc..I do need to shift my gears? Watts are Joules/second. Then see if that wattage matches what you see in Zwift when you're riding alone . Great article, Eric. Have you considered age category racing. On Zwift Power categories have both a wattage requirement and a w/kg requirement. Yes that’s completely unacceptable, you should never be at a disadvantage at any time in your life, just as your mother raised you. 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). So power is the rate of work.) If you don’t have the Trainer Difficulty slider in your main menu, that means you haven’t paired your KICKR as a Controllable Trainer (bottom-right on the pairing screen). She can crank but her w/kg is low. There’s 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. thanks eric, didn’t know this! You must be kidding. 5 year age categories and incredibly competitive a in most age groups, Thanks so much for your helpful comment. You still have to put in the same amount of power to get up (and down) the hill, but you will “feel” the hill less. Hanging with the Group Over Gradient Changes, https://zwiftinsider.com/kickr-factory-spindown/, https://zwiftinsider.com/getting-started-classic-trainer/, Zwift Companion v3.47 Update: Clubs Notifications, iOS 16 Fix + More, Notable Zwift Events for the Weekend of June 3-4. Once I hit 185 it’s either sit up and catch my breath of fall of the bike. No need to change the setting if you are happy with the “feel” of your rides and aren’t struggling with yo-yoing in and out of the pack on group rides. They CANNOT win. if you’re on zwift and intentionally cheating to get whichever fake virtual badge or win whichever fake virtual place in a race, then you’re real-life literal loser. While it is true that pushing the same watts… Read more », Great point, and this is what people talking about “cheating” do not understand. Change weight in Zwift Power - General Discussion - Zwift Forums #2 You only change it in Zwift and it should get picked up with regular backend processing periodically (maybe overnight). Now I always use 100 % because it’s so much more real, and fun, and anything else feels rubbish to me. Surely to put out the same power with a lower TD then you need to have a higher cadence? On the left-hand side of the pop-up window that appears, click 'layout'. My 3 race FTP is at 4.07w/kg (248w @ 61kg), but I’m still in Cat B. You should do much better at your actual weight in that case. With Zwift control is difficult (in getting Zwifters to enter their accurate) wait. Best regards Just the fact that you need a third party (ZP) to validate race results really says it all. On your mobile device, Launch the Zwift app. They don't want to lose users by enforcing restrictions too much bokudo Level 41-49 • 1 yr. ago Thank you. SIM mode is basically what’s used as default. I can see ability to adjust intensity when using Apple TV (but prefer to drive program through iphone), if I adjust intensity Though Apple TV will it revert to default 50% when I close program through Apple TV? I have been comparing apples to oranges. ), So what is “reverse” weight doping? Hello Eric, So, sometimes it's a little higher than reality, sometimes a little lower. I have… Read more », How does this effect sprinting? this is how it is in real life , big ian stannard putting in hard fast miles on the front for (was) team sky , while all the small guys tuck in the peloton getting drafted along saving energy for later on in the race , because they can`t compete on the flat with the big boys . He’s asking for a fair race. I currently use the Garmin Smart Scale so I may invest in the Withings scale. Cyclingnews is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. How can I synchronize my weight data with Zwift? However I will probably still spin out on descents, unless my bike had higher gears. Considering one of the biggest forces we overcome as cyclists is gravity, the w/kg measurement gives a very good way to estimate and compare performance. Eric runs Zwift Insider in his spare time when he isn't on the bike or managing various business interests. I have no idea. This is especially true if you are trying to ride with riders you possibly know locally or otherwise. But without any hard and fast rules, we can’t say anything is “illegal”–at least for certain races. Simply put, the system cannot measure weight it can only measure power, so for racing, people’s weight should be disregarded – by that I mean, just as everyone in a zwift academy race has the same bike, they should be given the same weight , then it is a race based on FTP banded categories with point based promotion. I’ve connected my garmin scale with this app https://smartscalesync.com/?utm_source=tr EDIT… Found my answer: 250w, There’s a chart about halfway down this page: https://zwiftpower.com/viewtopic.php?f=68&t=5528. slow twitch are predominately used in high cadence exercises you are using oxidative mechanisms, fast twitch are engaged when the cadence drops. I got my 100kph badge on the Bologna course. Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); I’m not too concerned about weight doping really. Privacy Policy, How to Race on Zwift (Setup, Strategy, and More). I would say 1kg or more is more normal. He’s 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. Incrasing virtual weight would probaly downgrade me to B again. Here’s a post to help you get started on Zwift with a classic trainer: https://zwiftinsider.com/getting-started-classic-trainer/. Category Enforcement Update - Weight Changes [December 2022] - Zwift Forums I think there’s another more interesting angle than just trying to stay down a category. Work over time is work over time. , 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. This doesn’t seem quite right. I have an 1x drivetrain and could not possibly go up the Radio Tower and keep a decent cadence (not even,say, 50 RPM standing). If that’s not something that needs fixing then why run any races? How does it work? He had fun laughing at fat dad, but I pipped him at the line! Mine seems to keep going back to 50% (instantly) as well on the Elite, but the Wahoo doesn’t…, Interested on how this Trainer Difficulty setting compares semantically to Erg-Mode. Trainer Difficulty On Descents: Did You Know? Michael_Barrett3 (Michael) February 2, 2021, 1:37pm 1. My mph seems way off. 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. Say hypothetically for you that is 75 rpm at 250 watts. I have a concern about the precision of being able to set the TD slide bar to an EXACT value like 40% or 50% or 60%. I’m 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 don’t race other than against myself so I’ve never weight doped as such My observations recently however have created an awareness of how many stick insects ride bikes on zwift . 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 don’t mind the low HR’s but the low power and high w/kg really irk me! Bump your Trainer Difficulty up to 100% and you’ll feel the full gradient. 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. Where you might typically use ~7 of your gears when riding at the default 50% setting, lowering it to 25% would let you ride and only use ~4 gears, since the incline changes are less dramatic. Zwift why don’t they sell a turbo trainer that sends a code to set the resistance when you click the button to start a race. You can drag individual metrics between the available and active boxes. Our experts spend countless hours testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. I don’t know if this is an appropriate place to ask this; but I don’t have a “smart trainer”, is there a way I can follow along on my old trainer & just approximate by using my resistance levels. resistance is low. So if you're unsure if your power numbers are accurate in Zwift, just find the speed above that you can hold outdoors on a flat ride going all-out for 20+ minutes. Congratulations John on your retirement and Zwift is a great retirement present. Find solutions to some of the most common issues with your equipment. Great article; your site is awesome. Perhaps “Gradient Feel” or “Trainer Realism” would be better. You make a good point–there isn’t a published race ruleset that clearly states that riders are 1) required to use accurate weight and 2) enter the correct race category. Scroll down to 'metrics'. So if I set TD as zero, it would be the same of enabling ERG mode? Fact ! We mentioned categories earlier as one of the ways in which you can search through your results and statistics, but they're also a method by which you get sorted into races. The only thing changing is how much resistance you’re feeling from your trainer. A higher Trainer Difficulty will typically result in a higher VI due to more resistance fluctuation. It’s going to take a certain amount of calories for a certain person to perform a given amount of work in a given time. People can be far to either direction im 25 and my max that I have hit is 217. Same climb, just a different cadence. “Trainer Difficulty” is absolutely the most misunderstood Zwift setting (Menu>Settings). I’m not sure I’d say the “algorithms” help heavier riders in descents. Refer to the Assembly Guide included with the equipment or find the Assembly Guide at matrixmanuals.com; Issue: I am having trouble understanding how to connect my ICR50 IX display with Zwift Learn how to connect your ICR50 IX display to Zwift by watching this informative . È indispensabile essere sinceri nel dichiarare il proprio peso , per se stessi e per il rispetto degli altri . But what exactly is ZwiftPower and how does it work? I love reading it. Currently trying to convince a friend who is new to Zwift not to reverse weight dope. I thought everyone rode with trainer difficulty at 100% or you were cheating or certainly not preparing for the climb outside of equal difficulty. I’ve read tons of articles and watched hours of video, yet the basic notion that you have to SHIFT during regular rides totally escaped me! Scroll down to select Work Out with Zwift. Issue: How do I assemble my fitness equipment? Privacy Policy. I realize now that my (obvious) mistake was thinking that when everyone said “it will ‘feel’ different but nothing will change” that “nothing” excluded _cadence_. I climbed the Alpe last night for Stage 3 of the Tour of Watopia, missing my target of going under an hour by just over 12 seconds (Aargh!!).