Zwift Chat

[mjd1988]

Yeah, I know. It's just frustrating when you are coming in 93rd and you have people finishing in the top 30 who have gamed the system. WTRL is meant to stop that isn't it? Anyway, it won't matter to my points total!!!

The important thing is to use that anger.
And also to sledge them relentlessly before the race for the fun of it.

 

[Joffey]

The important thing is to use that anger.
And also to sledge them relentlessly before the race for the fun of it.

I'll get stuck into him next week, that's a certainty. I'll call him Andy Fordham, that'll get him as he's blowing out of his ass in the TTT.

 

[<Tommy>]

Yeah, I know. It's just frustrating when you are coming in 93rd and you have people finishing in the top 30 who have gamed the system. WTRL is meant to stop that isn't it? Anyway, it won't matter to my points total!!!

I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a few people gaming the system. But I don’t think it’s worth overstating it. That guy as an example. He’s only done 12 races. And now he’s just gone over the line into A. I dunno... not exactly conclusive is it? He also put out a lot of power to only came 13th. For me, if he was a better racer, he puts out lower power and still finishes higher?

I used burninglegs as an example yesterday. If he goes back up to A cat then maybe people accuse him of gaming the system too. But like I say, we know better. I’m not trying to patronise anyone saying ‘don’t let it bother you’. If it bothers you it bothers you. But I’m going to try and keep an open mind on this stuff. If someone is suddenly putting out 5.0 then yeah it’s a bit smelly. But I think you’re going to see a lot of these borderline cases and it’s probably better to give people a bit of benefit of doubt.

 

[<Tommy>]

Absolutely brutal if I’m honest. Same old story for me, managed to hang on at start to the lead group, just. Wasn’t that a faster start than normal? Actually sitting quite nice at the first sprint but resisted and same for the second. Thought I’d save for the climbs. Looking back now was prob the only shot of points but had the intention of trying for too 30? Still there or there about s until Libby hill then straight out of the back. Got stranded after the climbs in a group of 3 others but no one wanted to work. Then a bigger group caught us with @Norry1 in there I think , couldn’t message mate was blowing. Stayed there until Libby hill rd2 and out the back of that group also. Broke my highest ever HR tonight on the final climb and still out the back. Happy enough with my performance. Never going to contend with hills.
you #23 boys absolutely smashed it so well done. There may be somE DQ s as the guys who came 1st and 4th were reported before the race to WTRL with dodgy numbers so you may have a podium @<Tommy>?
great riding #68 boys also.👍🏼

Tough stage for us “big muscled guys” well done all.

I rode side by side with you for a while yesterday 👍. I haven’t seen the race schedule but hopefully they’ve put in some flatter ones for the “big muscles guys” 😄👍.

It’d be nice to podium but I’d still be pissed off about two people going past me on the line

 

[Joffey]

I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a few people gaming the system. But I don’t think it’s worth overstating it. That guy as an example. He’s only done 12 races. And now he’s just gone over the line into A. I dunno... not exactly conclusive is it? He also put out a lot of power to only came 13th. For me, if he was a better racer, he puts out lower power and still finishes higher?

I used burninglegs as an example yesterday. If he goes back up to A cat then maybe people accuse him of gaming the system too. But like I say, we know better. I’m not trying to patronise anyone saying ‘don’t let it bother you’. If it bothers you it bothers you. But I’m going to try and keep an open mind on this stuff. If someone is suddenly putting out 5.0 then yeah it’s a bit smelly. But I think you’re going to see a lot of these borderline cases and it’s probably better to give people a bit of benefit of doubt.

Totally appreciate that, it just annoys me when I'm flogging myself to get one finishing point to support my legit Cat B team mates and he 'appears' to have cruised round the first 2 races and then tried in the 3rd and got bumped to A. To me, it's not cricket.

But I'll not dwell on it and keep focussed on helping out the team so hopefully we can legitimately finish above them anyway

 

[mjd1988]

hopefully they’ve put in some flatter ones for the “big muscles guys” 😄👍.

I think all the flat courses are for TTTs. Richmond is about as flat as the races go as far as I can see. Not exactly mountainous though

E.gm I think the next course is the everything bagel
https://zwiftinsider.com/route/everything-bagel/
Up the Kom in New York in both directions and no sprints before the first climb

 

[Whorty]

Great cheerleading Carl , saw your ride on in last lap👍

You're welcome .... it's the least I can do as I can't help with riding

 

[Whorty]

And your chat messages really spurred me on at the finish @Whorty - thank you.

Hope everything went well for you and your wife today?

No worries Nick, I could see your HR going through the roof so hoped I could give a bit of support when you was suffering so much. Brilliant ride

As for us, Rach came out the hospice OK but they couldn't really do much for her (and they tried their hearts out). Great to have her back home as was very strange not having her around.

 

[bridgy]

I just want some of whatever these guys who suddenly increase their average watts by 50-60 watts overnight are on - I've tried beetroot juice and can confirm it's not that

 

[Del C]

Yeah, I know. It's just frustrating when you are coming in 93rd and you have people finishing in the top 30 who have gamed the system. WTRL is meant to stop that isn't it? Anyway, it won't matter to my points total!!!

I understand your anger over this, but I’m going to stick up for WTRL here.

I’m not close in any way to the heart of the organisation of ZRL. I just race for them. But I do see some of the stuff that‘s going on, and this has come up again on the ZRL Facebook page and it’s been discussed on the WTRL internal chat.

What the organisers are saying is they can’t stop people who try to game the system and I don’t think they can even stop people entering the wrong category, as the systems that control entry to pens are the standard Zwift systems. WTRL provide the sign on links to enter the races and take a feed from these systems to process results.

What they are reliant on is that Captains do their job and make sure that their team members are riding in the right category and aren’t gaming the system.

WTRL are reviewing the results and I’ve seen an example this morning where they have written to the Captain of a C cat team where one rider averaged 6.3w/kg, asking for a plausible explanation. If they don’t get a response they are likely to throw the team out of ZRL.

On the other hand, as @<Tommy> said above, there will be a lot of borderline cases, and I’m guessing here that there will be a lot of those cases where the riders will get the benefit of the doubt.

So, my view is that unfortunately, some people are shoots and will try to game the system. People have been doing this in Zwift for a long time. The ZRL system is only 3 rounds in and it will get better. It needs better enforcement in the core Zwift systems, but WTRL are at least following up the more blatant cheats, and that’s an improvement on where we have been.

In the meantime, congratulations on your improvement and ride your own ride. That’s all you can do. And in that case I can sympathise with you as my Div 1 debut last night was mighty painful!

 

[Whorty]

The important thing is to use that anger.
And also to sledge them relentlessly before the race for the fun of it.

I miss sitting in the pens with you guys

 

[Joffey]

I just want some of whatever these guys who suddenly increase their average watts by 50-60 watts overnight are on - I've tried beetroot juice and can confirm it's not that

Fishcakes and asparagus...

 

[bobinski]

Just play the long game @Joffey - he will be promoted for the next series, won’t he.

Having said that, then others will have improved and be capable of A numbers during the next B series. It’s just the way it is 🤷‍♂️

He was an A before the race though. Just like that other guy at 4.7 who rode just over A last night. I say "burn them at the CC stake!"

 

[Joffey]

I understand your anger over this, but I’m going to stick up for WTRL here.

I’m not close in any way to the heart of the organisation of ZRL. I just race for them. But I do see some of the stuff that‘s going on, and this has come up again on the ZRL Facebook page and it’s been discussed on the WTRL internal chat.

What the organisers are saying is they can’t stop people who try to game the system and I don’t think they can even stop people entering the wrong category, as the systems that control entry to pens are the standard Zwift systems. WTRL provide the sign on links to enter the races and take a feed from these systems to process results.

What they are reliant on is that Captains do their job and make sure that their team members are riding in the right category and aren’t gaming the system.

WTRL are reviewing the results and I’ve seen an example this morning where they have written to the Captain of a C cat team where one rider averaged 6.3w/kg, asking for a plausible explanation. If they don’t get a response they are likely to throw the team out of ZRL.

On the other hand, as @<Tommy> said above, there will be a lot of borderline cases, and I’m guessing here that there will be a lot of those cases where the riders will get the benefit of the doubt.

So, my view is that unfortunately, some people are shoots and will try to game the system. People have been doing this in Zwift for a long time. The ZRL system is only 3 rounds in and it will get better. It needs better enforcement in the core Zwift systems, but WTRL are at least following up the more blatant cheats, and that’s an improvement on where we have been.

In the meantime, congratulations on your improvement and ride your own ride. That’s all you can do. And in that case I can sympathise with you as my Div 1 debut last night was mighty painful!

I'm not annoyed with WTRL, they are doing a great job under the most difficult of circumstances, it's the riders that annoy me. But like you say Del, I can only ride my own ride, and I try to.

I could just plod round and get a point but I'm really enjoying racing against far better riders and it's showing with FTP improvements over the last 3 weeks. I presume this will flatten out but I'll enjoy it whilst it lasts!

 

[bridgy]

From what I'm hearing these problems with riders over Cat are even more an issue in the C/D races - not surprising really because they're half the distance, so even more likely to be very fast and see people going over Cat limits at the pointy end of things. Poor old WTRL are probably getting bombarded with queries and complaints!