Well guys, I wonder if we might develop age groups at some point ?  I say this as I think I’m probably a lot older than many of you yet when race you wouldn’t know if I’m 18 or 80.  I can hold my own pretty well but of course I’d love to know how I compare to my age group peers as well as the whole field, whippersnappers and all …Â
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I have noticed that 90% of people in races that I have been in are 35+ and a lot older. I am 55 and many of the people who beat me are in the 50+ age,
I suspect a lot of this is demographics of cycling, the cost of equipment to compete, and the fact that older folks have less time for outdoor riding.Â
I would hazard a guess that Zwift membership overall is tilted toward the older edge of the spectrum…
ZWIFT- can you release age statistics for your subscribers?
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You can determine this information from Strava by using their segment filters.
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Hi Brandon can you explain more on how to do this please?
If you view an activity you can click a segment and then click “View full leaderboard” you go to a new page.  On this page there are filters on the left hand side, one of which is to filter by age group.  I believe this is a premium feature though.
@Matt: Outdoor riding, at least here in the Netherlands, is very similar to Zwift in terms of perceived demographics. That is to say that generally speaking the cyclist tends to be older of age.
I don’t think this is merely due to cost of equipment to compete however, considering as to how for amateur riding the entry level costs can be quite low. But rather that as people age, cycling is one of the few sports which is body friendly. This in contrast to other popular sports such as running, cross-fit, etc.
As for the topic at hand, I personally feel that the addition of age categories for race results is meaningless without verified body weight values, zpower filtered out of the results and possibly even have known trainers with wide margins on their power readings filtered out as well. If that is not done, the entire addition of age categories is meaningless as it remains a garbage in, garbage out scenario.
For any of that to happen though, the question is does Zwift and/or the community want racing in Zwift to become a true competitive thing. Or are people merely looking for an engaging, fun indoor activity to pass time whilst continuing their training. I’m inclined to believe for most people it’s the latter. And that’s also where my vote would be at.
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Stef - Yes, cycling is definitely a “life sport” .  I see your point, you are probably correct. Of course in the Netherlands cycling is viewed differently that here in the States,where most people view bikes as toys. But then you are a civilized country, whereas we… not so sure…ask me after November
My idea is to open a Zwift certification center, where you can go and race on standardized equipment  once a year and get a validated user avatar, like Twitter, etc… 
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Thanks for the info on Strava segments etc. I totally agree Zwift is just a game but I suppose one thing that made me post was that, yes I’m probably older then than some riders but also I’m forced into Cat A rides. I’m 57kg and ride around 4.2w/kg. Sadly I seem to end up almost last in most cat A rides.  If I enter Cat B I’m put back into Cat A.  I believe this is because 4.2 w/kg for a 57kg rider on the flat is not the same speed as 4.2w/kg if you are heavier. I might go up hills a bit quicker if they are steep. So, it can be a bit harsh to put all that effort in and produce a reasonable w/kg power output yet still get passed by heavy cat B riders and of course get left behind by riders who are 4.2w/kg+ esp if they are heavier than me. Anyway I still ride and compete and maybe one day my skinny legs will push me to higher power ratios …… haha let’s see. It’s just a game… Â
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The races are pointless and poorly managed.  I have a higher FTP w/kg than you but I ride the class b races and I’ve noticed lots of people are doing similar now too.
my problem is that my power curve is flat meaning that I can’t sprint.  When the races force me to go slow for 3 laps and then race only the last lap this penalties me as it takes away from my abilities to go hard for a long time and not able to drop huge watts over a short distance.
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M - You just need to do races that go over the mountain a few times and you’ll do fine!
I do think most races are pure powerfests because they are flat because of the issues of cheating on weight…
My vote is that it is time to add age categories in Zwift (with optional participation, of course). The feature is available in Strava only with a premium account, but age categories could easily be added directly to Zwift, thereby eliminating the hassle of fumbling around in third-party apps.
Age categories in Zwift would not be meaningless or only pertain to racing or one’s competitive inclinations. It would greatly enhance the social aspects of the game (one of its principle intentions), such as sharing experiences dealing with age-related issues concerning fitness or assisting other riders with age-associated challenges, for example. The potential for developing friendships outside of Zwift based on common interests, including those other than cycling, but often related specifically to age, would also be significantly enriched. As a life-long cyclist, now in my 60s, I find it very difficult to locate other similarly-aged riders with whom to relate common experiences in Zwift.
If one of Zwift’s primary objectives is to foster the social possibilities that the sport of cycling has to offer, I don’t see how age categories cannot be included.
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Alan: I agree this is a good idea.  For races especially, it would be nice to see the ages of the competitors (again, optionally as much as any given rider elected to share their information). Finishing top ten in a “C” or B" category is great, but it would add a whole new dimension to (also) know the ages of those finishing as well.
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Yep, im 12 and this would be great
Please please please add age categories to Zwift. There are people riding that are over 100 years old. I’m 75 and would very much like to find others to ride with on Zwift that are near my age. I recently rode on Bkool with a rider for about 24 minutes. My heart rate was 160 most of the time. My theoretical maximum heart rate is 145. I suspect this rider was younger. Either I’m killing myself trying to keep up with a younger riders or I’m a crap rider. It would be nice to know.
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In Canada we don’t use Cat A,B,C,D etc. we use age groups
So when I have to choose Category I do this translation
A 20-29
B 30-39
C 40-49
D 50-59
E 60+
So I choose “E” because I am 62 and clueless on my own Cat since in my country I would compete in the 60+ category (regardless of my FTP)
I think we need something like age group or the like
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