Yes I think mine is lower than it should be as I've done only 1 zwift power race since May . It looks like it's going to take time to the scores find the right level . The good thing about the way Alex is doing it the top of "D" next week is down to 400 so you will nearer the top of the cat
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alex_cycles
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- Oxfordshire
It's a bit vague but it uses some combination of 30s, 10m and weight in a kind of compound score. But they haven't published the formula and they've already tweaked it. A bit more opaque than ZR.app.
Having said that though, with a pretty full and up to date set of data (i haven't had more than a week or two off racing this year) I've found it puts me in a pen where I can have an enjoyable race. That doesn't mean it will always get it right for everyone though - and that's why it needs more testing, data and development. Hopefully our races will feed it some data so it can get better.
alex_cycles
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Next MONTH. It alternates monthly so that each League month is consistent - or that would be messy
The problem with 30 seconds, 10 mins etc only, is it penalises those racers who try their hardest to hang on for as long as possible then get spat out the back, to be picked up and most likely dropped by any chasers. It incentivises tempo riding.
I though it was results based? The old cats were pretty good apart from the sandbaggers who hung on for the final sprint - but they would be promoted if the new setup was purely results based so they would be found out quite quickly and placed into the correct pen. Hopefully it evens itself out soon.
My real ZRS is probably closer to 350 (maybe lower) at the moment and I'm sure a few more races and i'll be down there and I'll see others in the race longer
It is results based - if you do ZRS categorised races it adjusts based on results in those races. But it has to start somewhere and that's the data Alex was talking about.The problem with 30 seconds, 10 mins etc only, is it penalises those racers who try their hardest to hang on for as long as possible then get spat out the back, to be picked up and most likely dropped by any chasers. It incentivises tempo riding.
I though it was results based? The old cats were pretty good apart from the sandbaggers who hung on for the final sprint - but they would be promoted if the new setup was purely results based so they would be found out quite quickly and placed into the correct pen. Hopefully it evens itself out soon.
My real ZRS is probably closer to 350 (maybe lower) at the moment and I'm sure a few more races and i'll be down there and I'll see others in the race longer
Have you done lots of ZRS races? If not, it will take a few to adjust as you say.
Maybe for some reason the starting algorithm is just a bit harsh on you based on your current form.
alex_cycles
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Exactly. Those power figures are to try and get you into a ball-park starting point from where it will adjust with results.
Honestly though I think you just need some time on the bike and you'll be golden. I can't wait to see you at your sprinting peak again.
that's why I was wondering where it started from, as I having nothing decent in races for 18 months really so I guessed it must be using something else rather than races. Someone on a FB group suggested it used free rides too - so if you blast a sprint segment it uses that - which seems a bit silly giving you may be rolling around at Z1 before the effort, do the blast, but then have to stop riding as that was all the legs had - so not representative of a race.
I'm trying to do ZRS races if I do get to race to give them more data, but I'm not getting on the bike as often as I used to for various personal reasons. Need to make sure I select short races though, as it's pretty dull riding alone at the back unless you have a kind team mate who waits for you and drags you along
Not sure I'll be riding enough, certainly not in the near future, to get anywhere near where I used to be. I can still hit 7, maybe 8 w/kg, but only if that's all I do haha Certainly not at the end of a race, I could barely give Phil a 3 w/kg lead out tonight
that's why I was wondering where it started from, as I having nothing decent in races for 18 months really so I guessed it must be using something else rather than races. Someone on a FB group suggested it used free rides too - so if you blast a sprint segment it uses that - which seems a bit silly giving you may be rolling around at Z1 before the effort, do the blast, but then have to stop riding as that was all the legs had - so not representative of a race.
I'm trying to do ZRS races if I do get to race to give them more data, but I'm not getting on the bike as often as I used to for various personal reasons. Need to make sure I select short races though, as it's pretty dull riding alone at the back unless you have a kind team mate who waits for you and drags you along
I believe they take data from the last 90 days and looking at your profile on ZP you did 7.3w/kg for 30s in a race in July. That's better than most people (including me) in my race tonight, so bearing mind 30s power is one of the data points they're using for the starting score, that's possibly why yours is as high as it is despite your current form
alex_cycles
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- Location
- Oxfordshire
Yes - I prefer steering ON myself, but since I was targeting the DRS crowd I didn't want to change too much lest I put them off.
Bear in mind I originally was only going to do Atlantic which has a lot of Aussies and Canadians and others who can't even buy the Zwift Plays in their countries. But then I got persuaded to do all three DRS zones (because I must be mad
)That was the main reason. Friday Smash when it restarts will be steering ON. (Not sure quite when yet)
And that for me is where it's flawed - I did a big sprint at the end of a race, after a 5 minute rest going downhill - a sprint for 41st place (I lost the sprint and came 42nd) in a C race of 80 riders. Taking one number, or just a few random numbers, is no better than taking w/kg. I think the old cats were mostly accurate apart from the top where some people would hold off until the final sprint - so actually, seeding using the original cats and then using results based afterwards would have been more accurate in my opinion,
So again, it's disincentivises pushing for every place. If I'm penalised for fighting for 42nd with a sprint, next time I'll just roll in, no sprint and get myself a lower score - which is actually what I saw others doing the other day in a race i was in.
What we have now though is lots of B riders in the same pen as C riders which is exactly what people were complaining about before cat enforcement first came in.
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alex_cycles
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- Location
- Oxfordshire
If you want to talk about those filthy ABCD categories, I beat an A and an A+ today in the 550-650 group. I'm a middle B in old CE money.
I must admit I raised an eyebrow when I saw they were signed up. "What the hell are they doing in this pen?"
But the point I'm trying to make is this is something new and we need to try not to look at it through the lens of the old system.
I was surprised I beat them (and all my Emerald team-mates). Maybe it's not as stupid as I thought? (I was very well prepared for today's race though).
Anyway - I accept it may not have worked as well for you, and that's a shame. I hope it will get better. For me the object is enjoyable racing.
