There was a previous thread back in 2020 about this but there was no real “answer” so I thought I’d ask again this year. Are their any races for the 1.5 w/kg range? Most races have a D division that’s 0-2.5, and putting me in the same group at 1.5 as someone with 2.5 just isn’t appealing. And 1.5 is pushing it still for me for a long distance. Most of my rides are 0.9 → 1.2.
Im new to Zwift. Rode my first race yesterday. I have a 2.6 kg/w average. Rode in the c class and did not manage to keep up. It was stated that a 2.6 was the limit in the race anyhow It went much faster. Did I misunderstand the concept or? Dan 
1 Like
Gerrie,
Thanks but I’d already looked at those and looking at the last results, there are people riding at 3.0+ w/KG! There’s no way that would even be fun. How is that even allowed?
There will always be those that spoil the race by entering the wrong cat, until Zwift do something about that. It has been asked for many years. Auto-Assign Race Categories
Gerrie, thanks for valuable insights
1 Like
2.6w/kg is the limit for the best 20 minute average, so people go hard in the start and in the end.
Found out - ended up with 5 other riders and worked great. Guess thats the way to go in Zwift. Feel sorry for the ones that do not compete fairly.
Go hard? 2.6? Hell, 2.0 would be an all out sprint for me right now 
I may try one of the “races” just to see. Thanks!!!
__o
_ \<_
(_)/(_)
C cat is 2.5 - 3.1 W/kg AFAIK.
I have 2.61, trying to be out of the last 1/3.
You must not try to stay in the front group, no chance. Find a group you can ride with, after the race look at the results on Zwiftpower.
Thanks 
1 Like
I agree with Milan, I’m in a similar boat as a lightweight (68kg) doing 2.8ish w/kg. Riders doing 3.0-3.1 w/kg who are 90-100kg (ie: are within the rules of C) are totally unreachable for me on races that are not hilly. So, I generally let the lead pack disappear into the distance (which will always contain several A or B riders deliberately entering the wrong cat) and try to stay with the 2nd or 3rd group. This doesn’t bother me at all, the fun comes in pushing to stay with that group just under my limit, and leave just enough to try and win the sprint from that group.
The ultimate solution is to throw the w/kg system out and base new categories on actual race results…
1 Like
Justin, thanks for sharing. Excellent points its about having fun. I will be on the lookout for groups my level /Dan
Appreciate that Justin. What I’ve found though is that there are no 2nd or 3rd groups that I can keep up with so I end up finishing last in nearly every one because noone else in the 0.9 to 1.5 range wants to ride with the 2.4ers - not to mention the sandbaggers.
I did see there are anti-sandbagging measures on ZwiftPower but most races don’t use/have them. Are they functional? Do they help?
Yes they do help. I’ve noticed the ZHQ Crit City races are generally better, because people exceeding the limits get “coned” and their output is reduced. Many of them give up, so I’ve noticed now there are fewer people doing ridiculous speeds in C - occasionally I can stay with the lead group for a lap or two, which wouldn’t be happening if there were multiple As and Bs in there.
Something to bear in mind is that all races seem to start very fast out of the gate, but this usually only lasts for 30-60 seconds before leveling off at a more reasonable pace. So, make sure you’re spinning hard already when the gun goes off. For me, this works out as being willing (on the 8 mile, 6-lap ZHQ Crit City C races) to do about 270-300w for that initial burst, even though I can only maintain 190-200w over that distance. I’m not sure how this would translate to a D race if your limit is 1.5w/kg though, most 1.0-1.5 riders in D races have probably been quickly put off by the ABC riders and the crazy speed off the line, so are now doing mostly rides rather than races. For now, you might want to do the same until you are getting closer to doing 2.0, at which point there should be some riders at the same level in most D races.
Justin, thanks so much for the time to explain! I really appreciate it. I think I’ll give the crit-city a try and see how it goes. If I start being able to keep up with the back, that will be enough encouragement to push a bit harder. I don’t have a lot of that now as I’m always by myself.