There should be options for race organizers to disallow anyone using Zpower, no HRM, etc. with preventative controls.
The generic Zwift races can continue using the wild, wild, west approach but serious racers can seek out the fine-tuned events where the playing field is more level.
Indeed, from what I’ve heard we were very close to having all of that supported with zwiftpower.
Of course what would have been missing still is enforcement and communication of rank within zwift itself, as well as using all of that zwiftpower data to actual enforce the pens.
It will take a lot longer now zwift own the whole thing, but at least it opens up the option of having it properly enforced and managed in-game.
The world’s most prolific sandbagger and the self-proclaimed ‘Cat C king’ gets promoted by Zwift tomorrow. I presume one of those goals is to continue ruining the Zwift racing experience for hundreds of genuine cat Cs.
Some people need their ego to be massaged, to compensate for what they lack… elsewhere. 
Zwiftpower has him listed as cat C now, he must be cruising a lot.
think he has been off the bike a while but he does openly say in his videos that he races cat c so he can win them.
Curious if cruisers like this will just stop racing when/if Zwift finally addresses all this nonsense.
@Mark_Cote this is the sort of thing that sends completely the wrong message to the racing community. Why are Zwift promoting notorious sandbaggers? Sure, it’s not against Zwift’s ToS, but it’s certainly against the spirit of fair racing.
Normally when I say, “I’m shocked! Simply Shocked!” I’m being sarcastic. In this case, I’m beyond shocked. Why in the world would Zwift give a dooshbag (sp) like that a forum to proliferate a bunch of BS like that. We’ve spent years and countless hours railing against this and ZHQ gives someone the opportunity to teach others how to FCK UP races. This is exactly the problem with racing on Zwift. It’s fckers like this guy that keep people from joining community races and expanding the user base. ZHQ did not do themselves any favors with this bit of sheit…
My question is this @Mark_Cote and @xflintx : Is someone of note in this thread like @gloscherrybomb or @_JamesA_ZSUNR or @MRBaldi_T-ZHR going to get their time on the podcast for equal time?
If I wasn’t on injured reserve I’d be talkin’ 'bout taking some time away from Zwift. Seriously, I’m extremely displeased. Like that really matters to ZHQ…
Masses of exposure for the platform, thanks to an individual with over a million YouTube subscribers and more than half a million followers across Instagram and Twitter. They don’t give a single toss whether he’s sandbagging or not, it’s totally besides the point of this partnership.
@xflintx send me a tacx neo 2 and a cut diamond the size of a small boulder and i solemly promise to win every C race i can possibly fit into a calendar year. it’s a tough job, but i’m willing to do it for a huge diamond worth millions of dollars
Yeah, I can’t say I’m the least bit surprised. Racing seems to be seen by ZHQ as a source of marketing content and otherwise something between a necessary evil and a nuisance. Fun is fast (but not too fast), you know.
That’s the weird thing about the lack of racing development to this point though. Racing IS Zwift marketing. Look at GCN, Ed Laverack, Cameron (ahem) Jeffers, Cycling GK, Virtual TdF, etc etc. The return (and therefore Business Case) from developing the racing part of the platform is crystal clear.
Most of you have been here a lot longer than me, so it’s surprising you don’t get it.
Zwift doesn’t want to be a proper e-sports platform. Sure, some of the employees might think that’s an interesting idea, but it’s simply never been part of the corporate plan. Corporate Zwift is actively hostile to the idea of it being used as a serious racing tool.
I really don’t know why this is the case, indeed I find it pretty baffling, but when you exclude all the alternatives, whatever you are left with, however unlikely, must be the truth.
… To each their own, but in my world if one’s goal in Zwift racing shifts from fitness gains to not breaching artificial boundaries, one needs to reflect on the purpose of stepping on that bike. Or sports in general. While the one person may rack up virtual trophies in a video game, the other racks up PBs and reaps actual fitness benefits. What is funny is that the official Zwift reading of race categories is FTP/weight(kg), which obviously can be very different from 95% of 20min race power. On the side, in my world, 18th/20 in 50 minutes also wins from 1/42 in 52 minutes. Cheers to more racing and more PBs in 2022!
With regard to community racing maybe that’s true, but the top brass consistently state that the aim at pro level is to get racing on Zwift into the OIympics. Why would that be an aim if not to attract users to the platform, with racing literally the reason why? Likewise the sponsorshop of the women’s TdF. I agree, it’s totally baffling.
When they banned the two ladies a while back from premier races for dodgy results but let them continue to ride/race non-premier events, that was a telling sign for me, though I must say the hypocrisy demonstrated by Zwift with statements in this thread and that promotion is mind boggling.
Well, they have developed parts of the racing part of the platform that are actually useful for marketing, like better graphics and live scoreboards (of sorts) for the TV broadcast specifically. Addressing the demands of the infamous vocal minority are a different matter altogether, as is its ROI, though.
Getting big names on zwift for marketing reasons, sure.
Racing as an actual activity for the plebs, not so much.
