Zwift has launched a new updated called Racing Score which it says will “revolutionise” racing on the platform by “delivering more competitive, accessible and fairer competition.”
The new ranking system from the 'global fitness system' is designed to reflect both fitness and racing skill, Zwift announced on Monday. Points will be scored in races across the platform, earned for all finishing positions, with bonuses for those on podiums. All riders will get given a started value based on fitness data.
Zwifters entering events will only be able to join competitions which match their own abilities, or above. The company says that this will ultimately make online racing fairer and more competitive in the long term.
If racers choose, they can enter certain higher category events in a bid to score more points in the new system to enable them to then progress to a higher category. For those who are new to racing on the system, Zwift Racing Score will assign them to a category that meets the user’s current abilities based on their most recently submitted fitness data.
Entering a higher volume of Zwift races will allow users to gradually build their racing score. Points will now be available for every finishing position which Zwift says will mean that “every race can provide motivation and reward.”
A riders Zwift Racing Score will be a numerical value between zero and 1,000, with higher numbers reflecting a higher fitness level and overall racing skill. Every Zwift user will be assigned a value based on their best 30 second and 10 minute power numbers uploaded within the last 90 days. Users can then improve their own individual racing score by winning further points in-race.
The new ranking system will also depend on field quality and size, with more points on offer in races with highly competitive fields. Users will gain points based on their finishing positions, with bonus points on offer for podium places. At the end of every race users will be able to see the impact the race has had on their overall score.
"We are incredibly excited about the launch of Zwift Racing Score," Zwift’s Mark Cote said. "We have spent years researching the best algorithm, looking into data collected from millions of races held on the platform, and more importantly, working with the Zwift community to collect feedback on how the system is functioning.
"We know how important it is to get this right. The feedback from the Zwift Labs Club has been incredibly positive with many racers finding events more dynamic due to improved categorisation. We will continue to evolve Zwift Racing Score and monitor community feedback but we are excited to see how Zwift Racing Score will help more people enjoy the benefits of racing on Zwift."
Zwift World Series, ZRacing Community Festival, Zwift Academy Make Up Races, and community racing events will all be using Zwift Racing Score from 7th October.
Users will be able to find their current racing score in their profile, located in the Zwift companion app, the Zwift game or on Zwift’s official website.
In addition to this update, Zwift is offering a free set of Zwift Play controllers for free with the purchase of any trainer from Zwift.com between September 30 and October 6.
The brand is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary.
