Did I get DQ because?

Racing
1

Hi, I’ve just taken part in my first ever race on Zwift (3R Volcano Climb Race - 1 Lap (22.4km/14mi 204m) (B) but it looks like i’ve been disqualified, is this to do with my average w/kg? it had ZP in red on the results page on ZwiftPower. I did try and work out my W/KG but must of been wrong (Will that be because i’m using a static trainer with sensors and not a smart trainer?? As i said at the start, this was my first race and really didn’t know what I was doing so sorry if this is the case.

Thanks

Christopher Syrad.

2

In your post, you stated you use Z Power and you entered the race as a B rider.
3R does not permit ZP riders to be in the A or B race and ZP can not podium in the C or D races.
Zwift will let you enter and race but your result will be DQ’ed by Zwift Power.

Are you a true B racer? You did not state what your W/KG is.
If you are, then you can race but as I said, your results will be filtered in a 3R race and many others but not all.
The ZHR do not filter ZP.

1 Like
3

Hi Tim,

I tried to work out my W/KG and it fell into the B category, I put my last fpt and my weight into the British Cycling Power Calculator and my w/kg came out as 3.72 but after i finished the race Zwiftpower had my average W/kg as 4.3. Do you think its because I use a static trainer rather than a smart trainer?

So, does this basically mean that I won’t be able to race?

Chris.

4

Yes and No.

You can race in races that do not filter ZP riders.
You can continue to race and have lots of fun just as you are.
The only site that will filter you is Zwift power.
Zwift will still allow you to enter any race but you wont get the points and the rankings but every thing else is the same.

You should really go over your set up.

there are things that can make your power artificially high.

  1. wheel slip. Make sure your tire pressure is 100 psi and the wheel is tight against the roller.

  2. Make sure your wt and Ht are correct. LBS vs KG.

  3. If your trainer has an adjustable resistance, make sure it is set on the proper setting.
    This can be tricky. My trainer is supposed to be set on #3. My first year, my power was also mid to upper B. i’m not really that dominant in real life.
    I found that there was slack in my cable adjustment and the first “click” was not increasing my resistance. It was just taking up the slack so actually I was riding at level 2 instead of 3.

  4. Try to borrow another trainer from a friend or bike shop and repeat a FTP test and ensure the results are the same.

Level B is really hard and most people don’t accidentally find themselves a level B.

  1. Finally, if you really are that strong but don’t want to buy a new trainer, increase the resistance to bring you FTP down to 2.8 - 3.0.
    You will be handicapping your self but you still get to race as a cat C and be very competitive and you will get stronger and you will not get DQ’d.
    Most racers will object if you give yourself an advantage but nobody seems to care if you handicap yourself even if the inaccuracy is of the same magnitude.

  2. Just ignore Zwift Power. Over half the racers in any given race are not registered with the site anyway. I like zwift Power a lot and I try to encourage people to register but having a Zwift Power account is not required.

Over all, I can’t emphasize enough, make sure your power is really that high. That is very very strong.

1 Like
5

Also, if you find an error with your set up and are able to race at a lower category, make sure you let the moderator at Zwift power know and they will remove the initial erroneous results from your profile because as long as they are there, your average FTP will be increased. Results will affect your average FTP for 90 days then they automatically will drop out of the equation.

6

I just watched the US National Championships and there were several riders with ZP. they would not be allowed to win but they were in the race.

7

Morning Tim,

Thanks for all the advice and help.

I’ve taken what you wrote so I’ve adjusted my roller where my wheel goes so it’s now tighter so it’s now harder to pedal when in a higher gear.

I’ll give it a go later on a normal Zwift ride just to see if my power and watts go down.

I’m like you, I’m not a very good cyclist outdoors so I was a bit surprised when I saw my results.

I will also let Zwift know about what I’ve done so they don’t think I’m cheating.

Thanks again.

Chris

Ride on!!

8

Also think about this. They call it “FTP based” categories but unless i am mistaken or recalling incorrectly, they always use max 20min power * .95 as the formula for estimating “FTP.”

So, if you did an hour test and found that you could hold 3.72 for that hour and that that was your FTP, you’re probably right. But if you can hold 20mins x .95 = 4+, for purposes of Zwift racing your FTP is considered higher.

You should think about it more like 20min power based categories rather than FTP based categories.