In a racing season fraught with multiple racer annulments, mid-series format changes, and ruleset amendments, Zwift has taken a significant step by halting its elite five-race Zwift World Series. This decision has left the platform's flagship Zwift Games in a state of uncertainty. In an email sent to racers this week, Zwift announced the suspension of the Zwift World Series, confirming that the fourth race scheduled for December 5th will not proceed.

Unraveling Zwift's Racing Crisis and the Quest for Accuracy

Power Reading Anomalies and Their Impact

At the core of the issue are power readings that have shown an unnatural upward drift during certain efforts, ranging from six to eight percent. This drift occurs during high-torque, low-cadence efforts, such as those found on steep climbs, and has affected smart trainers from both Wahoo and Elite. It is described as an "edge case" that affects only a handful of elite racers pushing their equipment to the limits, rather than an endemic problem affecting all indoor cyclists. The fact that it has only come to light due to the dual-recording requirements of elite cycling esports races highlights the importance of accurate measurements in this context. 2: The discovery of these power reading anomalies was made by Athlete AnalytiX, an independent performance verification service headed by the former head of ZADA (Zwift Accuracy and Data Analysis), Bjoern Ossenbrink. All elite cycling esports races require dual power meter recordings to ensure consistency by comparing readings from multiple sources. However, when the two separate power files show unacceptable differences that vary under different race scenarios without specific definable causes or logical explanations from the manufacturers and auto-calibration protocols, problems arise. This has led to numerous annulments and race-to-race uncertainty for athletes.

The Role of Equipment and Manufacturers

Word of the problem initially went public before the series' second race in early October when Athlete AnalytiX identified anomalies in power output for several riders during climbs. Zwift and Athlete AnalytiX initiated an investigation with Wahoo to determine the cause. The smart trainer brand initially stated that under extreme conditions, power may drift slightly on certain models. But the bug fix has yet to arrive. Cyclingnews has contacted Wahoo and Elite for an update, but no comments have been received at the time of publishing. 2: The cases of New Zealand's Kate McCarthy and Brazil's Gabi Guerra illustrate the impact of these power reading issues. McCarthy used a Wahoo Kickr smart trainer when her performance in the Zwift World Series second race was annulled, but she was absolved of any intent to cheat. Guerra used an Elite Justo 2 smart trainer when her race 3 win was annulled due to material and inconsistent variances between the smart trainer and the power meter. These incidents have caused significant stress and anguish for the affected racers.

Racing Community Reactions and Future Prospects

The postponement decision has sparked consternation among racers who have structured their competitive seasons around the Zwift World Series. Frustration is mounting as they find themselves in a difficult position, having to defend their integrity amid ongoing challenges. Zwift plans to reschedule the final two races of the elite season to follow the Zwift Games in March 2025, but this raises questions about qualification and the future of the sport. 2: Zwift is taking steps to address these issues by revisiting and updating its ruleset for elite racing. The racing community worries that the only viable solution might involve lowering verification standards or imposing more restrictive equipment requirements. However, Zwift is urging that these edge cases can be remedied through hardware manufacturers developing firmware updates. Some racers applaud Zwift for taking action and making difficult decisions to progress the sport. 3: South Africa's James Barnes, a prolific winner in Zwift elite racing, is closely watching how this decision will shape virtual racing and impact his peers. The sentiment highlights the need for joint collaboration between Zwift, hardware manufacturers, and riders to establish universal standards of accuracy and fairness in cycling esports. Until then, the inability to effectively verify athlete performance due to hardware inadequacies casts a shadow over the sport.