Hi. I’m an 80lb 12yo who typically races C. I’ve never won a C race. I attempted the ZHQ anti-sandbagging race the other day, but my watts were quickly reduced by zwift as my w/kg is high. Do I just need to avoid this race, or is there a way around this?
Thanks!
Bjorn
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This was a problem for me as well. I just completely quit those races. All races run by zwift have it on now. I liked the crit city races but always got DQ so I just stopped doing them.
Yeah, I am a little confused too and still trying to understand how Zwift DQ riders. My power stats were not much different than the winner but I was DQ (see attached).
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Just glancing, you all look like cat B to me.
3.7 w/kg and 287 w.
Bjorn, the system Zwift uses doesn’t work well for very light riders like yourself. You’ve been allowed to stay in C category for a while now despite breaking the 3.2 w/kg limit for C, because you’ve been under the 150w barrier. Now you are on/over that as well it is triggering the anti-sandbagging rules due to your w/kg output. Unfortunately, until Zwift improves its algorithm (or switches to a results-based ranking system that many people want), I think you have four options:
- Race as a C and get the green cone (or DQ in ZwiftPower later if you enter a non ZHQ crit)
- Race in B
- Enter races with mass starts (ie: all cats start at the same time) as a B and beat whoever you can. You may not finish high up in the B rankings later, but you’ll have a great time racing people of similar ability, whether they are A, B, C or D. You won’t get coned.
- Quit racing
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This is not 20 minute power though. The race was done in 16 minutes.
I am not understanding your DQ either. You appear to be a C Cat rider per ZP and this was shorter than 20 minutes. There were many wkg over the 3.2 limit that were not given a wkg from the C Cat. You did race as a C correct?
Race: ZwiftPower - Login
I also don’t understand how ZP shows you scoring points in 2 races. 425.03 and 536.62. You don’t have a single valid race in almost a year, just 3 different DQs for WKG, HR, and UPG.
Yes, I raced as a C and the race was under 20 minutes.
Yes, I see what you’re saying.
There needs to be a improved system for Crits vs Road races.
Still, 3.7 w/kg and 287 at 16 min is highly probable this individual is a B racer.
There is absolutely no doubt that the power is there to be a true B racer. The difference between 16 min and 20 min power will be very little, maybe 0.1wkg less.
At the time if the ride he was a C rank and didn’t get a new 20 minute power number so I just don’t know how he got the WKG.
Zwift ZHQ anti sandbagging races don’t use the same rules as Zwiftpower.com. I would suggest you just don’t do these races.
It’s crazy.
The Crits seem to be the new Wild west.
You can do anything you like for less than 20 min and your cat is decided by 20 min power in a completely different discipline of riding.
Zwift needs to get this organized.
They really aren’t giving people guidance.
Don’t race Crits if you like road races is a bad position to put people in.
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