Hello,
Just seeking some clarity on this: I was recently promoted to Pace Group B (last month I think) but yesterday I was demoted to Pace Group C. I am not aware of any drop-off in power, indeed I think I continue to improve and achieved a 5 min power PB yesterday.
So I’m disappointed to see the demotion. Can anyone explain this? By the way I am clear on the difference between Pace Category and racing score categories.
Thanks!
Improving your 3-6min power will steepen your power curve, raising your zMAP but lowering your zFTP.
Providing you don’t exceed the zMAP limits, you will be assigned the lower pen.
If you do > 4.1W/kg for about 5.5 minutes you can probably get back to B for 90 days. That’s usually easier than raising zFTP since you can do it with fresh legs and if you don’t succeed you can try again in a few days since it’s not that draining of an effort.
Don’t look at it as a demotion. You’ve just discovered one of the reasons why pace groups are so flawed. And there’s nothing stopping you entering the B pen and beating them anyway.
Interesting… after posting this I noticed that my FTP had gone down. Just as notification of an FTP increase is useful so too would a notification of a decrease.
Thanks Paul. I’m not so bothered about being in that particular pace group, it was more about trying to understand the process / calculation.
Yes! Despite ZRS being flawed (as far as I can tell), I am certain it’s way way better than pace group categories; there is no way in this world that I am (or at least was for a short period) the tier below the best on here (as would be suggested under pace category rider allocation)!
Do you mean FTP or do you mean zFTP here? They’re not the same thing.
And, yes, we told them not to call it zFTP because it would cause confusion, but they did it anyway. 
but it Zwift FTP @David_Galbraith
I don’t think Zwift automatically reduces your FTP, I thought it had to be amended down by the user?
What was your FTP and what does your Profile say it is now?
Any chance you saw a Zone 2 workout at a lower level than it had been previously and assumed your FTP had reduced?
correct..
It will automatically go down if you do an FTP test with a lower result, but not otherwise
With trying to categorize everybody in the world into only 4 cats, discrepancies will occur.
You may not feel you are good enough to be categorized into the 2nd best group but do the members of the 3rd group feel you ought to be moved up?
I think I’m becoming a proponent of fluctuating cat boundaries.
Definitely eliminate the decay.
I also got demoted from B to C recently. From a simple experience point of view, it’s correct in that I have to work extremely hard to do ok in C rides, and have no chance in B rides of staying with the riders for anything more than a couple of mins. I should never have been in B.
However, my ZRS has been stable to slightly nudging up in parallel whilst at the same time pace category was lowered, and ZRS is currently at its highest level for me.
Have no clue how movements in the two measures relate to each other…
There’s no relationship other than that a 5 min PR could shift you up in either category system. Anyone who races regularly and doesn’t intentionally tank their ZRS will likely creep up over time.
My 5min PR (and 3, 15, 20, 30) are all current and set since my demotion to C. The equivalent PRs during my B time were lower for all.
If you went from B to C under category enforcement, that means 90 day W/kg went down for either zMAP or zFTP
I went from A to B a while back, but it was simply because I wasn’t doing high intensity rides - just lots of distance.
After getting back to doing shorter high intensity rides I’m back at A. Not that it matters much as I cannot sprint so no race in Zwift is worth it unless it’s 100km with 3 HC climbs with no flat parts and a hilly finish.
My power is quite flat without much difference between 5 minutes and 45 minutes. I’m only interested in mountain courses so I ignore races, nothing will get me to do one. Much like some feel the same about structured workout plans.
Oops, sorry for the lull in my activity on here: I mean FTP, not zFTP (I don’t know what zFTP is but do see it on the fitness section of my profile page).
I am 99.99% sure my FTP was 230 and is now 226. It has stayed at 226 since (despite new 5 min and 20 min power PBs and highest ever average watts in races, on 2 occasions). Strange.