Or a high VO2 max.
He was sandbagging the whole time… 
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Same.
Anyone know a simple Vo2 max calc?
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There isn’t one.
That’s why VO2 Max isn’t a metric in most training software, and estimates like Garmin’s calculation is often a long way out. It needs to be lab tested. Very interested to know how this is calculated. W’bal would make more sense, but would also be flawed. Maybe they look at 2-4 min power or something.
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i don’t have zwift power, and i haven’t raced in more than 2 months. D pen is restricted for me, but A, B, C and E are all available. from my perspective, this seems correct.
(my FTP is around 3.0wkg. my 5 min power is about 3.8wkg. my best 20 min power is about even with my FTP, maybe a touch higher.)
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This is good to know. Seems to be all ride data, not just races.
Yup, even rides that never got saved supposedly.
"* * Will the categories available to me to race in be the same as my categories in ZwiftPower?
- ZwiftPower does not dictate your category in Zwift, as it’s only a supplement to Zwift racing. Every ride that you do in Zwift - regardless of if you’re on ZwiftPower or not or if you have saved the ride or not - saves the power data that we use to determine your available categories.*"
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Not on about me! Just meant generally. For a C or D it seems pointless.
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Yeah when I have tried to decipher Garmin’s interpretation via google but science got the better of me but thought on the off chance … oh well.
This is let down - this is doing to me what WTRL autocat did and I seriously wanted to play. Grrr.
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Yup garmin is way off with mine, it says I’m in the top 1% for my age and a fitness age of 20
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I think a lot of us in the top 1% for our age. Wonder how many are in the bottom 99% 
Ah got ya. So it’s placed you into B or above then, how far off that are you?
What is VO Max? Possibly typo, VO2Max?
maybe, that is what is written in the test race description.
If you go purely off w/kg (and in particular my all time FTP) I am a B. But I’m a tiny weakling with the build of a small child, so my outright power is pitiful. I was promoted to B once on ZP after a couple of unprecedented efforts, and I was predictably annihilated in every B race I tried. 
As a result of being dropped every time, my averages were actually even lower than normal (it’s almost impossible for me to push myself as hard when I’m time trialling alone) and so I dropped back into C quite quickly.
Autocat put me in what was essentially B too, and it was similarly demoralising every time. I have a big issue with the concept that everyone can perpetually continue to improve and get stronger if only they try harder. I probably could get better, but it’s highly unlikely to happen because it would take much more dedication than I am willing to put in. I have a job and a family etc.
Totally accept that people like me will always be in a pickle with this stuff btw. It was just the same with the existing anti-sandbagging races, it flagged me every time I tried them.
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The official announcement mentions VO2Max. Hopefully they will update the race description.
So what happened to all that “we’re not redefining the categories” debate that we had and supposedly resolved? 
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Looks about right while I’m being categized higher than my zp cat it’s probably just about right if I smashed out a 20 minute effort. Although this will cause quite a bit of confusion so it would be a good thought if successful to get zp cats aligned rather than continuing to use the 20 min w/kg alone.
Is there any consideration to riders than have been banned on zp, will they be able to enter these races?
I’ll give the first race a try then submit feedback
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Fair point. Initially, I was reticent (and am still a little gun shy, to be honest) to post anything more detailed for fear of that becoming viewed as the “absolute” version of what we’re doing, regardless of if it’s a test or not.
I think, though, that I can give a bit of insight with this information below and you as racers and Zwifters definitely should know a bit more.
Please understand that I won’t be giving the formula outright, but I can explain how it works a little bit.
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We take into consideration the estimated VO2max (in ml/min/kg) and MAP (maximal aerobic power, i.e: the VO2max equivalent in absolute power), which can make riders fall into certain categories regardless of their FTP.
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For example, imagine someone with a low-ish FTP but with a high VO2max (or MAP power) that could really do very well in certain races that require those sort of short maximal efforts. They would be put into the category above based on those values and not only based off FTP.
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For a concrete example with some numbers: anyone with a VO2max equal or above 60 or a MAP value equal or above 360w or 5.4 W/kg will be put into the A category, etc.
Again, I must stress this: this is not final and we will most likely change this moving forward. It seemed the fairest way to take the first wide swing at making racing feel better.
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Well, I was put in B, and I am absolute bottom of the barrel B from looking at all the races that came up in the last week (where I would have been the lowest on the totem pole all-up), so maybe what will happen with these tests is more folks will be pushed up into B and where you were getting annihilated before maybe you will be crushing people like me 
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