or a Fence that zaps you and puts you at the back of the field
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But what does that mean, in the case where the rider is actually pedalling on their trainer? There is no difference between setting their watts to 0 for the first hundredth of a second and then registering their true 500 thereafter, and just being at 500 from go.
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I suggested to open the banner 1 min before start (rider will start moving - like TTT). If you start pedaling, you would go past the start line and get disqualified. We do it IRL, so it should be possible 
This prevents riders from spinning up before start.
This will not prevent riders from putting out huge watts from the start, but I don’t think that should be prevented. It is a part of the game.
Yup, expecting post 3000 on Monday or Tuesday. The way things have been going, I suppose we’ll hit 4000 well before the first test races go live…
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I think it would, and that some kind of “pen enforcement” will also improve a lot of the other issues people focus on this thread.
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is it a problem? if anything, 0-3min power is what most cyclists should be training more of anyway. you’re going to have to do those efforts on every single zwift course at some point no matter what the course is if you want to finish with the front split
i feel like people are probably just cooking themselves doing 900w for 10s out of the gate when 400w for 20s serves the same purpose
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Or a MTB race where its important to be near the front on the singletrack.
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Punchy riders aren’t breaking rules. They are just using their talents.
We want fair racing but I don’t want to win by making rules against everyone who is faster than me.
I’m sure there is an explanation why other people are ahead of me!
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There are very few actual “longer” races, or what we would call “long” IRL.
IRL a typical road race is 1.5 hours or 60km for D (or local equivalent category name), 2 hours or 70km for C, 2.5 hours or 90km for B and 3 hours or 110km for A.
And even at those distances I would get complaints from B and A that they should be longer.
There are the occassional actual long race on Zwift, e.g. Kiss 100. But vast majority are well under an hour and (lately) under a half hour seems popular.
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5000 before the changes are made available to other organizers 
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I got that one too: “Dude, you suck…” 
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Sounds like the talk of an optimist.
The start discussion is nothing to do with my personal performance.
I was merely pointing out that it’s kinda annoying. I have no issues staying with race start pace. I was actually thinking of the dynamics of C and D races. The spin up to mega watts and launch ruins races for many new D racers. Yes, once you’re aware of it, you do the same.
Still, it seems very poorly executed. If the intention is have a fun race, why not try some rolling starts to test if it keeps the group together a little longer?
In lower category races the sandbaggers obviously know how to start. So they launch, then hold 5w/kg for a minute or two. There’s immediately a long line, and the race is over for a bunch of riders in manner of seconds.
Obviously, stopping the sandbaggers from entering the lower cats will greatly reduce this. I just thought a rolling neutral start would further help the issue.
Additionally, it would offer some variation, which the racing on Zwift definitely needs. As a bonus, if a slow ramping neutral start was able to be implemented successfully, it may mean that riders could join a race without the world changing pre warm-up. Essentially, no warm-up required, as it’s built into the start.
Just an idea.
I maintain, to understand this whole dilemma. Actually experience what is happening. Increase your weight, so you are exactly 2.5w/kg at full FTP pace. Not 2.8, 2.5 or lower. Then enter 10 D races. You’ll rapidly understand the scale of the issue first hand.
If you’re racing A or B, it’s likely far less of an issue for you. You’re a stronger rider to begin with, likely understand the race start dynamics and sandbagging in B is far less extreme.
Lower categories are where everyone starts. It’s where the protection tools need to be most effective.
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Ex-FRICKIN’-zackly! x1000. Many of the Zwifters posting here haven’t experienced the hard start from the perspective of an out of shape new rider. That’s a great tip to pile on some weight (reverse weight doping) and ride a few D races.
I’m back in the mix now but it’s been 9 weeks since I’ve done anything remotely athletic so I’m riding around at about 1.5w/kg to get back into shape. When you’re 65 this sh*t goes away quicker and takes longer to come back. I’ll probably be back in the C’s when I have enough fitness to race but I’m riding in the D group events now and it’s a bit of an eye-opener. My weight addition is going to be real; I stopped riding but I didn’t stop eating…
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You have the power
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But then we will loose all the posts towards 3000. 
I will do it when I get to my pc. I’m not moving posts on my phone. 
Surely if everyone is in the correct pens then everyone is of a similar ability and the starts can remain as is…
Yes you have people who favour a sprint and then settle into tempo who it benefits, but it’s the same for everyone…
I’ve raced Crit & Cross IRL and it’s full gas from the off and then settles either a few laps in or when you get dropped.
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Exactly my first thought…
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Correct pens doesn’t mean the same ability. But don’t need to go over that again… give the race organisers choice. A neutral start mode would be an awesome option, but it doesn’t have to be used.
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