Tag: Zwift

Zwift Racing Categories – A New Model?

The goal: To have racers in the proper category and to drastically reduce sandbagging. Makes Zwift categories fairer and more fun. 

zwift race categories model 2
Click to Enlarge.

So why not this? This would be a combo of current real-life road cycling scenarios of categories along with the current Zwift w/kg model.

First of all…the diagram looks complicated. For the end-user it is not. They just race hard and all this happens behind the scenes. The algorithm only offers users certain race categories (granted E open races still exist). 

Here is how the initial model works in my brain:

  • Start everyone in D races.
  • But each D race has two sub-categories:
    • A “Permanent-D” aka D-1
    • “Pass-Through” D-PT.
  • Everyone starts in D-PT.
  • Zwift begins accruing power numbers through your first few races and watching your placement percentage.
  • If you place top 50% (or whatever % is the best division point) AND your power is above the D threshold w/kg in D-PT, you automatically move up to C-PT and cannot enter a D-1 race.
  • Once Zwift figures out you aren’t going to top 50% in the C-PT category and determines your race average w/kg is within C-PT category, you slide into semi-permanent C -1.
  • This process continues under the algorithm slots the rider into a semi-permanent category based on w/kg and placement percentage.
  • Riders would have to “fight” their way up to A (more like real cycling). But as they fought their way up, true “Permanent-C” riders wouldn’t have to see or race “pass-through” type riders. They’d have a purer race in their own semi-permanent category. This would make it much more fun and fair in these semi-permanent category races (aka no sandbaggers).

So basically you move up through the categories until Zwift finds where you really belong based on placings + power. 

Drastically Reduces Sandbagging

The biggest benefit to this model is that sandbaggers would never be able to get into a semi-permanent category (-1) race below their abilities because they would be limited to higher categories.  (The only cheat would be to ride at lower w/kg for like 30 days while also placement flopping in their current Pass Through Category on purpose. These flop efforts would get them placed in a lower-than-they should-be semi-permanent category. But even then, the moment they started winning in their lower-than-they-should-be semi-permanent category, they’d be moved back to Pass-Through races and blocked from their flop-gained category.)

Ability to Downgrade After Injury, Aging, Etc.

If over a 90-day period you don’t ever finish within a certain top % and fail to put out in your current category’s w/kg, you are offered the opportunity to down-categorize one level. But if you start getting top 10% finishes and your power goes back up above your downgraded category, you move back up a category and/or over to the PT sub-category of that category.

Taking a Stab at a Harder Race

If anyone wants to take a stab at a harder race, they can always enter a Pass-Through race at their current level. For example, a C-1 could enter a B-PT which would have some future B and A riders moving through. In this way, they could be challenged.

Allows for Rider Progress

We all want to get faster. If, over time, a rider started showing dominance in their semi-permanent category in terms of placement and wattage overages, they get nicely moved up into the next semi-permanent category of races and are barred from the current category.