There in lies the issue, once you have the majority of activities using something it probably stops being a future works and becomes an actual launched toolset - Even if by stealth. Its the 50%+1 scenario
Yeah. Though to some degree I think itâs also dependent on whether Zwift is done working on the capability before dropping the FWorks label. Take steering for example. Still hasnât left âfutureworksâ stage â which suggests (though thereâs been no zwift pr) that itâs still being worked on. Last official forum update though was 1.5 years ago.
New roadmap detailing Mayâs work is now live: Competition & AI Tech Update: May 2022 Recap
I just rode a 3R Volcano Climb race (I saw you there as well).
Quite apparently Category Enforcement wasnât in place. Thatâs why you find quite a few DQ-ed people (UPG and WKG) in the results.
(OT: Wondering how the cat A winner often manages ~100bpm average HR when winning racesâŚ)
Just as âimpressiveâ is the 91bpm result just behind Gerrie in the Bâs.
Check this link in a few hours when the FIT file is uploaded. Maybe he had a HR dropout.
Doesnât look like dropouts in any of his previous race reports, also there often with a very low average.
Example where the rider had 80-100bpm while doing a 5-minute climb (e.g. Fox Hill) at 460W averageâŚ
He looks hell of an athlete⌠Dual records his rides with Kickr & AssiomasâŚ
His HR monitor data looks quite buggy (and has been like that for months).
The power data can still be true
Back to topic, I wish more events had category enforcment! If this 3R race had CE we would have been twice as many in Cat A, and fewer DQ-ed.
Are you stalking me.
If we ask @James_Zwift very nice and promise to be good he can turn CE on for the 3R Volcano.
B had only 3 on ZP.
It is a fun race.
So Iâm new to all this, Iâve only done like 4 or 5 races ever.
Today wanted to join a race an I see they bumped me up to only allow Category B or above !?
The last I did was Cat C, by some metric (I assume overall) I was 96th, and on another metric (category only perhaps?!) I was 10th, and I found it really hard work to get that.
So I was hardly tearing up any trees, but theyâve bumped me up so I can only select category B?
And suprise surprise, I was like 39th of 45 or so.
Whatâs the point of that? Iâm clearly not good enough to be Category B. Fyi my heart rate monitor didnât connect in time for the race today, would that make a difference?
Itâs hardly very satisfying âracingâ round in basically last place. If it forces that again I simply wonât bother racing. Is there anywhere to see your category or rating?
Category Enforcement looks at all your Zwift power data from the last 60 days, not just races. You have done at least one 2min+ effort in the range of this systems B class, which can easily place you one class higher than the old system on Zwiftpower.
https://intervals.icu/ 2-parameter Critical Power is a decent ballpark for the secret ZwiftHQ formula, select only indoor and W/Kg. 3.2-3.9 is the B range.
I would add to the comments above that it is indeed frustrating to not do well in a race and then get bumped up to an even harder category without understanding why. I get that for sure. As someone whoâs worked my way up through a few races I wouldnât give up yet. You canât start a new thing and expect to be awesome at it right away, Zwift racing takes some skill and knowledge to succeed. Further to the experience needed you can also improve your fitness in those key areas Zwift racing seems to favor. Donât give up, do some more races, watch the experienced folks on twitch and glean what you can from people who have figured things out. Itâs really fun once you get the knack, I promise!
Unfortunately, categories arenât determined by results (not yet anyway). So it doesnât matter if you come in first or last, it is all determined by your power curve. Sometimes youâre the hammer, sometimes youâre the nailâŚ
I think you mean, some people are the hammers, some people are the nails. It doesnât change for an particular individual, at least not often and not much.
Just about everyone whoâs spent more than a few seconds thinking about it agrees that power-based categories suck for racing. Zwift doesnât care.
I think they do care, but chose to proceed with the present system and not wait for a ranking or results-based system. Hopefully it will come. On page 10 of the CE101 document (referenced at the top of this thread) you will find this under Next Steps:
âA ranking system, clearly communicated in-game, would mean you are always racing even if you are in the 2nd or 3rd group. Beat better riders to move up. Organizers could set up races based on ranking rather than CP.â
That would make racing more appealing to people at the bottom of their current CE category. âClearly communicated in-gameâ would also be a nice improvement.
Interesting choice of words there. I must admit that it hadnât previously occurred to me that zwift were waiting for it to happen, but it would certainly explain a lot if they were!
Bear in mind that it was a Zwift user and not Zwift themselves who wrote that document. Iâm not being negative about it - kudos to James for all the effort he put into explaining it - but merely pointing out that itâs saying whatâs needed rather than being a commitment from Zwift.
Thatâs good to know, thank you. In fact it looks like @gloscherrybomb no longer exists on the forum (?). I wonder if those comments are based on communication with Zwift or are just wishful thinking. I hope to see more improvements that encourage potential competitors.