Let’s go with your chain of thoughts.
Virtual trophies are pointless.
Race result placement is a defacto version of trophies. I.e 7th place is better than 10th.
If race result is also pointless, what is the point of ZRS or racing in general, if coming in before and after someone is irrelevant?
Then what generate the “fun” aspect to racing?
And yet those same remaining 1000 UCI pros still race against the world’s top riders. They don’t get to go blow up the local Cat 4 race until they get their form back. Most riders who take a “summer” break from Zwift don’t stop riding completely because they still tend to be athletic/fitness-minded. Many ride and a few even race. Or they run. Or they hike. Or they swim. So while there are some that lose significant fitness during their Zwift sabbatical, most still maintain a level of fitness that prevents some of the drastic de-training losses you’ve quoted.
So let’s review the options for a previously higher categorized rider who has taken a “summer break” from Zwift:
Let them jump into beginner-category (or any other lower category) races until they “win” their way back to their proper categorization.
Negatively impacted population: every legitimate racer in those beginner category races.
Put them back into their old category and if they have lost significant fitness they will sink to their proper category.
Negatively-impacted population: one.
Absent extraordinary circumstances, there is zero reason to allow a previously higher categorized rider that has taken a break from Zwift to jump back into racing at a lower category.
Zwift isn’t designed for UCI pro in mind! Hell their max wattage is 2000.
They need to create a product that is friendly to soccer moms.
the actual racing does. for me, anyway
But if you remove the intent to beat the guy next to you “virtual trophies” then is it still a race? It’s like joining a social ride and beating everyone pacing next to Coco.
You need an element to create a “try hard” situation. The badges/trophies does that.
If the reality is most folks do need to drop category after a season then there can be some level of degredation factor to it based on years of Zwift’s data. This would ensure an A rider doesn’t just start off in D for instance.
The alternative is more chaos if you only go 90 days back in a game where it’s typical to take 90 days off for the summer where people in the wrong category will slaughter folks who actually would be fine otherwise.
Anyway, the new racing score seems a lot better than the previous category system, and that’s why there is so much whining about it… sandbagging is finally addressed, so it motives me more to participate in races.
Watch out or you might win some meaningless trophies. 
i intend to race other people who want to race… what they race for and why is their business and i respect it. and it’s cool… everyone different
The presence or absence of virtual trophies doesn’t increase or diminish our innate desire to compete and excel -the drive remains strong in many of us. Simply bring two competitive guys/gals together, and a race is inevitable. However, perceiving an unfair playing field (sandbagging) or suspecting that someone has an undue advantage can completely erode motivation… I would rather do a virtual portal for a PR than a race LOL
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