Race event sign up is broken. Intended behavior is to find an event you want to join then sign up based on your category. Actual behavior is to find an event you want to join, and either (a) be enforced into a cat (good), or (b) need to spend 5-10minutes researching the history of the event to decide which cat is correct. Research typically involves going to 1 or 2 non zwift locations to understand the approach. In some cases this is impossible because the event is a “zombie race” with no rules clarity and old logic applied.
Cat enforced = easy.
Uses Zwift racing app = interpretation necessary and varies by race organizer
Uses old w/kg limits from zwift power = mostly zombie events like Forte Racing series
Custom stuff. Masters racing / zrl etc
I understand the desire to support various cat limit approaches, but as they continue to proliferate, we’re getting back to the problem cat enforcement was trying to solve. Races are impacted by people in the wrong cat. The problem is being compounded by not knowing what the limits actually are.
The alternative (without a significant, yet needed, revamp of the events system) is to only use a single A-D system with no option for change for organisers.
Absolutely get what you’re saying and agree that it can be very confusing.
I think the choice for organizers can be workable if they are clear enough. Masters races are well-labeled in the app. ZRL having a specific sign-up link is clunky but works to enforce cats well.
The challenge is when the description states “go to X, sign up, and find your current category and how it matches back here”. Which is harder to set up unless you were to roll zracing app into cat enforcement.
Low hanging fruit option is to clean up the zombie events, which still use auto rules to apply outdated cat limits on Zwift power. i.e. just make the default for any event that doesn’t actively select otherwise, use cat enforcement.
Hi Matt - you are 100% right. Its something we as race organisers struggle with everytime. How can we make it easy for the racers to join and still get everyone into the right place?
We could of course just use the categorisation options that Zwift have now opened up, which itself has been a great step forwards, but all the feedback we’ve had is that the vast majorty of the racers who raced our events (www.dirtracingseries.com) want us to keep using www.zwiftracing.app categorisation.
In any case, I think that as racers we should want BOTH options and accept a little complexity to have choice. As long as there are lots of nice-and-easy-to-sign-up to ZRacing events then there should be space for something a bit different too.
And I know lots of the race organisers continue to work really hard to do the very best they can with any of the tools that James can give us - there really is tons of work that goes on by the community - and I hope that Zwift do continue to drive to improve this even further because there’s so many cool ideas in the community that could make racing on Zwift even better!
This would be great! There’s a good few times I’ve spotted errors or things I missed and I’ve not wanted to put more requests on James or Leah than are necessary. Would definitely help race organisers make sure descriptions were suitably accurate.
They don’t vet rider names or text chat much I don’t see it being much more of a problem than that. Or at least those that have been organiser for years I doubt are going to do anything stupid
