[Closed] Zwift Racing Down A Category.

ego massage

You've already answered the question. Right there with faking your W/kg to get into whatever Cat you want

I would just treat Zwift as a good training tool and not worry about the authenticity of the competition. It is not real racing, and there are a whole lots of reasons why you will never guarantee everyone is racing on a level playing field, even if they are not intentionally trying to game the system.

There's a question....

Here's my profile.

https://www.zwiftpower.com/profile.php?z=164586

As you can see, i generally podium in most C races i enter.. But i pick and choose them carefully to make that happen. Short and flat as possible...

In one there i was bumped to B and placed 20th out of 32... which is about where i end up. Usually lower if i'm honest looking at my results. I'll be in the bottom half dozen of say 30 in B.

However, nothing would change other than the results ? I'd still be racing the same people, racing the same tactics, I'd just have a green B instead. But the riders around me would be the same fellas they were yesterday and the same they'll be tomorrow.

The results are not what keep me racing, it's the real-time excitement and tactics that i get the pleasure from, who i beat and how legit or not, i don't really give a monkeys. We had a guy in C yesterday who didn't drop below 4.6w/kg the whole race, but he never ended up in the results anyway... Some lighter guys get moved up with a DQ etc... Who knows, you just race your best race on the day.

I can see why someone would look at my profile and think "why doesn't he jump to B..." but i can sit here and say, i honestly feel i'm a C on 99% of races.

I notice a lot of people repeatedly putting out much higher w/kg than than the classifications suggests.

But if they go over their entered cat banding they will get bumped up to the next cat.

not necessarily, depends on the event. Sometimes you will get DQ'd and dumped to the bottom of the table (which is the right way to do it IMO!)

Weird - I posted this on weeksy's thread this morning:

Used to piss me off at first when riders would smash out performances that were way out of their chosen category but these days I don’t care whether people weight-dope or whatever (some power meters / turbos supposedly exaggerate output too).

You’re racing virtual opponents round a fictitious world in a category whose boundaries are arbitrary and none of you can prove you are what you claim, unless you’re right at the top end of A and have backed it up with at least some evidence of real-life racing.

err, ride on !

Out of curiosity, out of those who "race" on Zwift, do any of you actually race in the really world and how do you get on?

Out of curiosity, out of those who “race” on Zwift, do any of you actually race in the really world and how do you get on?

Virtual and real, although not in real life for a couple of years.

Mid table mediocrity in both.

I think people do it as well because there is more incentive to work harder if you are in with a chance of a podium rather than being stuck at the back or even on your own. I am generally at the pointy end of B with a few wins to my name but if i enter as Cat A and the field is small then i stand every chance of getting popped out the back and end up riding on my own or slowing right down to wait for the next group, now why would anyone want to do that on a regular basis? I have rarely ever broken cat B limits so no point in going to A but i do often end up finishing with some A riders.

Out of curiosity, out of those who “race” on Zwift, do any of you actually race in the really world and how do you get on?

Couple of Crits, I'd say I pretty much failed miserably.

Seeps a bit lame and a bit of an ego massage if you don’t and a bit unfair to genuine people in that category.

Trick is to make sure the battery on the drill is charged right before you start,keepa those cranks turning hard

Top of the A pile is apparently populated by bloody fast riders who can mash out power that I couldn't even imagine doing

I'm not even bottom-of-A material so it's not an issue for me but I do wonder if a "super-A" should be formed, to give some hope of a win to yer mortal but still mighty quick people (I'd guess they might be cat 2-3 roadies in real life)

Only a couple of cx races and a couple of 10mile TTs here.

Unremarkable in all the above

But if they go over their entered cat banding they will get bumped up to the next cat.

Exactly. Happened to me when recently when I entered a "D" race as I hadn't done much cycling for the last year, only to be bumped up into the "C" results.   Since then I've entered races as a "C", based on my w/kg figures.   If I was regularly in the top 3 of the "C" races I entered I'd just try harder to get bumped up to the next category!     I'm sure there are plenty of sandbaggers about...

Lol I'm trying! I am regularly maxing my HR in races and hit about 97% max as my average in a race

Out of curiosity, out of those who “race” on Zwift, do any of you actually race in the really world and how do you get on?

Top of the A's are serious business, especially in the leagues. People like Adam Zimmerman, came 1st in the masters USA hill climb champs,  Kim Little has been on the podium in UK national XC (masters) then you've got folks like Greg Leo who's never really done anything racing outdoors and has declared himself an 'indoor specialist' - I'm absolutely convinced his numbers are real (including his weight), he just can't reproduce 18w/kg outside.

For me I'm a positively mid table enduro racer, most of my problems stem from corners rather than power though  😛

Like Weeksy I'm teetering right on the edge of an upgrade to B.

I did self upgrade earlier in the year but now there are more defined limits coming I'm going to stay a C until I am told to be a B and downgrade if results fall short. The plan is to get up towards 4WKG and be competitive in B races. I did get a bronze in a B race once but it was a flat single lap at Richmond and I managed to cling on to the front until the final bend and sprint.

The annoying thing about people racing down a category is you think there's a C up the road but in reality they are on for a DQ. I assume on the flat if I can't keep up with them at the start they aren't in my category.

I am at the limit of the B cat wkg ... usually podium, or close to it.

If I was to enter as an A cat then I`d be right at the bottom of that cat ... no chance of getting close to the podium, and be riding in with the chasing group having no unfluence at the front of the race.

Some say its not proper racing - but my legs & lungs don`t know that ... they are working every bit as hard as a proper race. I know everyone is different in what they get out of racing ... but for me riding in with the chasing group in a crit or a zwift race does not feel like racing ... only being at the sharp end and having an influence on it feels like actually racing.

Well im sick to death of group ridea where everyone races off and averages way over the target w/kg. If you wanna race, race. But dont do it in a group ride.

If you were winning or coming close to winning a lot of Zwift races at cat C (or whatever level) wouldn’t you enter at the next cat up for more of a challenge?

No. I'd buy an Ebike, derestrict it, enter Elite and destroy the field.

I'm pretty sure this is @weeksy's next plan

(once he's justified the outlay that is 😉 )

I think weeksy's already got a couple of fairly powerful bikes in his garage.  Just needs a way of hooking them up

Lol yes indeed, I have a zx6r and a KTM 790.

Ah motorcycle induced alphanumeric tourettes.

I love you guys down the pub.

#dullerchatthancyclists

I’m a second cat outside and was an A inside. Just back into training but wasn’t too bothered with the indoor racing. Nice distraction but I’m doing distance at the moment after a lay off of a few months.

Back of the pack outside in all comers, point end in vets and not far off the same indoors on about 4.3 W/kg and 68 kg. I’m probably down at 3.5 - 4 W/kg at the moment.