Announcing Zwift’s Biggest Racing Update to Date: Zwift Racing Score

October 7, 2024

Zwift Racing Score set to make Zwift racing more competitive, fairer and accessible

/ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ Zwift, the global online fitness platform for cyclists, has officially launched Zwift Racing Score. Following recent public testing in the Zwift Labs Club, Zwift Racing Score will revolutionize racing by delivering more competitive, accessible and fairer racing.

Zwift Racing Score is a new ranking system that reflects current fitness and racing skill. Zwifters entering events will only be able to join fields that match their own abilities, making Zwift racing fairer and more competitive. For the ambitious, racers can race in a category higher than their own ability for the chance to secure more ranking points.

For new racers especially, Zwift Racing Score will improve the accessibility of racing by making it easier than ever before to find the right race category. When entering a race for the first time, Zwifters will automatically be assigned a category that meets their current abilities, based on their most recent fitness data. Entering more races will allow new racers to build their racing score gradually. With points available for every finishing position, every race can provide motivation and reward.

Zwift Racing Score is a numerical value between 0 and 1,000, with the higher number reflecting the higher fitness level and racing skill. Every Zwifter is given a ‘floor value’ based on their best 30-second and 10-minute power numbers from the past 90 days. Racers can then improve their Racing Score by securing points in Zwift races. For the first time, racers’ categories will be determined by more than simply their power curve. Racing skill alongside fitness is what makes a successful racer, and so Zwift Racing Score rewards racer skill points added based on finishing position, with bonus points available for podium placings. Racing score also accounts for the field quality and size, with more points available in races with highly competitive fields. Points are available for every finishing position, and at the end of every race, Zwifters will see the impact on their Zwift Racing Score displayed in their finish-line results. Racing Score may increase or decrease depending on the two variables – power and race finishing position.

Zwift World Series, ZRacing Community Festival, Zwift Academy Make Up Races, and Community Racing events will all be using Zwift Racing Score from October 7th. Zwifters will be able to find their current Zwift Racing Score in their profile, located in the Zwift Companion App, the Zwift Game or on Zwift.com. Zwift Racing Score increases the number of standard categories from four to five, allowing for more closely matched racing:

690-1000

520-690

350-520

180-350

1-180

Beyond these 5 standard categories, racing score provides organisers with unlimited flexibility to set bespoke category boundaries, allowing more tailored racing experiences for specific ability groups and up to 10-category racing. Zwift Racing Score will be used for both open and women’s category events.

“We are incredibly excited about the launch of Zwift Racing Score today,” says Mark Cote, VP Product at Zwift. “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 categorization. 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.”

About Zwift

Zwift is the fitness company born from gaming. We’re dedicated fitness enthusiasts, experienced video game developers, and disruptive thinkers. Play is in our DNA and we know fun fuels results.

Zwift utilizes massively multiplayer online gaming technology to create rich, 3D worlds ripe for exploration. Join thousands of cyclists and runners in immersive playgrounds like London, New York, and Paris as well as our very own Watopia.

Our app connects wirelessly to exercise equipment: bike trainers, treadmills, and more, so your real world effort powers your avatar in the game.

From friendly races to social rides and structured training programs, Zwift unites a diverse community in pursuit of a more fun, immersive and social fitness experience.