Editor’s note: this is the final article in a 3-part series. Click to read part 1 and part 2.

Weight-sensitive sports like wrestling, judo, and rowing have realized the potential dangers extreme dieting poses to their athletes, and have asked themselves tough questions and made difficult decisions. The result? Policies which better ensure the safety of athletes through the acknowledgement and mediation of the risks involved. 

Although the following plan may seem ambitious, it is consistent with the policies of other weight-sensitive sports and is meant to swing the pendulum towards change.  If it eventually settles in a place where the greatest number of athletes are protected while the integrity of and ability to promote the sport is maintained, the goals of all involved will be met.

Point One: Education and Prevention

The International Olympic Committee and the American College of Sports Medicine have recommended that national and international sports federations put policies and procedures in place to eliminate harmful weight loss practices, as cited in the journal article referenced by Dr. Gilbert, the Chair of The Zwift Cycling Esports Commission, in Part 1.  They emphasize that attention should be focused upon the risk factors which are most easily affected, specifically, the pressure on athletes to manipulate diet behaviors and body weight in the belief that it will enhance performance.¹

Prevention of extreme dieting, disordered eating, and eating disorders can be broken down into three phases:²

1. Elimination of the onset of extreme dieting and disordered eating development through education designed to prevent the onset.
2. Focus placed upon early identification of at-risk athletes with appropriate follow-up performed.
3. When treatment is required, refer the athlete to an appropriate healthcare professional with a firm knowledge of the challenges of the association between dieting, energy availability and nutrition, body composition, and performance.

Zwift must require that all athletes participating in The Premier League and other elite events, as a step in the pre-registration process, complete an education and instruction module delivered by health professionals with the knowledge noted above. 

The instructional reference material should be made available to any athlete competing or riding on Zwift with public promotion of its availability.  By awarding each rider an in-game badge or incentive, this can become part of the many ways that Zwift motivates its subscribers to engage with the platform.  

Point Two: Creation of a Extreme Dieting Prevention Passport

As a requirement for pre-registration, athletes competing in The Premier League and other elite events must establish a baseline of several body composition data metrics.  Weight, body fat percentage, body mass index data, assessment of menstrual cycle, bone density, to name several options, should be taken and recorded by a trained healthcare professional while the athlete is determined to be in an adequately hydrated state. 

With that baseline, a periodic schedule of reassessment is put in place throughout the season or year, and a negative deviation from the baseline of greater than a predetermined percentage will be considered significant and trigger the steps taken in Point Three.

Point Three: Alarm and No-Start Criteria

Once an athlete has been determined to have deviated from the Extreme Dieting Prevention Passport baseline a series of steps known as the Alarm and No-Start Criteria will be implemented.  Alarm and No-Start criteria is based upon the idea that athletes who present with signs of disordered eating or an eating disorder are deemed “injured.”  Athletes who have triggered the alarm will be unable to resume competition until they have been cleared for competition by a trained health professional.

The specific guidelines for Alarm and No-Start Criteria can be broken down into two phases:³

1. Yellow light, or relative criteria, indicate active assessment from exclusion of competition for a short time and may include, for example, amenorrhea for more that six months, Body Mass Index below 18.5, and/or less that 12% body fat in women and less than 5% in men, in combination with low testosterone levels.
2. Red light, or absolute criteria, indicate that the athlete should be excluded from all competitions, upon fulfilment of the clinical diagnosis of an eating disorder.

Point Four: Pre-Race Weigh-In Timing

A weigh-in time of not more than two hours prior to competition should be implemented.  By doing so, the possibility for an athlete to exhibit the extreme dieting behavior of calorie and fluid restriction prior to weigh-in followed by binging, similar to a bulimic, will be prevented and avoided.  This is not the case when weigh-in is permitted 24 hours prior to the event (Zwift Esports’ current policy).

Point Five: Pre-Race Weigh-In Procedure

As a prerequisite for competition in each race, athletes competing in The Premier League and other elite events would perform a weigh-in while transmitting the video virtually in real time, via Zoom or other video conferencing option, during a previously scheduled appointment falling within the timeframe in Point Four. 

The athlete weighs themselves utilizing a Zwift-approved device which transmits the data directly to Zwift while the video conference is being conducted.  While improving the veracity of the data and decreasing the urge to manipulate it, this also provides the assessor the opportunity to observe the racer for any signs of extreme dieting health-related issues. 

Shining a Light

As Zwift strives to achieve the goal of leading the Esports industry in providing a legitimate and trusted competition platform, it has an obligation to protect the athletes on which it is building its reputation and revenues.  As is the case with many hidden dangers, extreme dieting remains in the shadows of denial by athletes and promoters alike. 

It is time that Zwift and its peers in the industry shed some light, because if one athlete suffers the life-altering effects of an eating disorder… that is one too many!  

You Are Not Alone

If you feel you may have a disordered eating problem, or you just don’t know, you are not alone, nor is there any shame in admitting.  Contact the International Eating Disorders Helpline for guidance and support.

Acknowledgement

I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sincere gratitude to Adam Upshaw, PhD, the Coordinator of the Sports Nutrition Program and Professor at Niagara College. Without his expert opinions, research, and guidance, the thorough exploration of this important topic would not have been possible.

Thank you for the cooperation and forthright responses to difficult questions provided by George Gilbert, Phd., the Chair of Zwift’s Cycling Esports Commission, for his willingness to consider change to help grow and improve Zwift’s governance in this area and remaining at the forefront of best-practice.

I would also like to offer my thanks to an anonymous source, who due to the sensitive nature of the anecdotal information providing insight into the darker side of virtual cycling, has chosen to remain nameless and faceless, but not without a voice.

And Kayla Slater, MS RDN ACE-CPT, the founder of Plant Based Performance Nutrition and Run Coaching, for putting some things into simple terms even I could understand.

Bibliography

• Skarderud, Finn. “The Malnourished Athlete-guidelines for Interventions.” Tidsskr Nor Legeforen, vol. 132, no. 17, 2012.
• Sungot-Borgen, Jorun. “How to minimise the health risks to athletes who compete in weight-sensitive sports review and position statement on behalf of the Ad Hoc Research Working Group on Body Composition, Health and Performance, under the auspices of the IOC Medical Commission.” British Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 47, 2013, pp. 1012-1022.

Editor’s note: this is part 2 in a 3-part series. Click to read part 1 and part 3.

During the 1997 American collegiate wrestling season, three wrestlers died of the fatal effects of rapid weight loss practices.  In the hours before weigh-in, the three wrestlers from different states drastically restricted food and fluid intake and exercised vigorously to promote dehydration.  The sudden deaths of these previously healthy, young, well-trained athletes underscored the need to eliminate weight-control practices which emphasized extreme and rapid weight loss.²

Extreme Dieting and Bulimic Behavior Among Elite Athletes

A study published in the Journal of Athletic Training in 2004 showed that weight gains in 668 collegiate wrestlers, only 20 hours after the initial tournament weigh-ins, averaged 3.73kg.  The study also suggested that novice wrestlers lose the greatest amounts of weight before competition and that the techniques used resemble the behaviour of bulimics.⁴  A study found in the Journal Pediatrics showed that of a study of 713 high school wrestlers, 1.7% exhibited behaviors consistent with bulimia nervosa and an additional 43% engaged in practices similar to those who met the criteria.⁵

This tragedy prompted NCAA Wrestling to adopt rule changes in 1998 to address weight-loss issues.  Of the six rule changes, two related directly to the timing of weigh-ins, including having weigh-ins performed one hour before the start of each match and establishing weigh-ins for each day of multi-day tournaments, figured prominently in their recommendations.  Therein lies a key flaw in Zwift’s weigh-in policy.

The Key Flaw in Zwift’s Weigh-In Policy

Zwift’s current rules allow athletes to weigh in as early as 24 hours before a race (see Zwift Cycling Esports Rules-Appendix A). But early weigh ins such as this have been identified by weight-sensitive sports as being dangerous, putting athletes at extreme risk. 

In fact, the study cited by the chair of the Zwift Cycling Esports Commission Dr. Gilbert when justifying Zwift’s weigh-in procedure (see part 1) recommends that “a weigh-in time of not more than 2-3 hours before competition should be implemented.”⁶ 

Furthermore, the two sports which Dr. Gilbert mentions when explaining the basis of Zwift’s policy current do the following with respect to the timing of weigh-ins:

• Lightweight rowing: weigh-in each day and for each event not less than an hour and not more than 2 hours before the start of the race.
• Judo: weigh-in performed the morning of competition at most 2 hours prior to the start.

Hidden in the Virtual Shadows

The virtual nature of Esports competition creates an environment of seclusion and relative invisibility.  Without the benefit of feedback and cues from peers, teammates, and coaches, disordered eating practices and the health-related consequences can go undetected and are more easily hidden. 

This can result in a pattern of abnormal weight-control which may become out of control despite the athlete’s intention to the contrary or without awareness.  In such cases, Zwift’s emphasis upon private weigh-ins may actually be detrimental in this respect and further underscore the necessity of policy change.

Glorification of W/KG

Not directly related to Zwift’s weigh-in policy, but of equal importance, is the glorification of w/kg as a speed-determining metric.  Countless blog posts, newsletters, and websites like Zwift Insider emphasize the benefits of being a lighter rider.  Comparisons of light vs. heavy riders, with the former having an advantage the majority of the time, are common and put a spotlight on the element of the equation which can be rapidly changed in the short-term through disordered eating practices.

In a study published in the Journal of Eating Disorders, a sample of 4037 cyclists and triathletes from across Spain was studied for eating disorder risk, and it was determined that triathletes were less likely to suffer from eating disorders than cyclists.  The researchers explained this through the special impact the w/kg ratio has on road cycling climbing performance, denoting that this is not a phenomena unique to virtual cycling.⁷

With Greater Legitimacy Comes Great Responsibility 

As Zwift continues to devote more resources and place greater emphasis upon its goal of being recognized as a legitimate cycling competition platform, its commitment to the well-being of the athletes competing on it must increase equally.  As the stakes get higher, the pressure upon racers to maximize their results at the expense of their long-term health increases.  It is paramount that Zwift takes responsibility in providing the necessary support and implementing policies which optimize the potential to successfully ensure the health of its competitors.

In the third and final instalment of the series, with the assistance of a prominent expert in the field of exercise science and nutrition, a Five Point Plan to amend Zwift’s Policy on Esports will be presented.  It is unfair to offer constructive criticism without devoting similar effort to finding a solution to the problem.  Having proven an issue exists, and that it is recognized by other sports as significant enough to prompt change, the implementation of a revised policy is essential to the future of Zwift racing and its athletes.

You Are Not Alone

If you feel you may have a disordered eating problem, or you just don’t know, you are not alone, nor is there any shame in admitting.  Contact the Eating Disorders Helpline in the UK for guidance and support.

Questions or Comments?

Share below!

Bibliography

• “Hyperthermia and dehydration-related deaths associated with intentional rapid weight loss in three collegiate wrestlers–North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Michigan, November-December 1997.” MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep, vol. February 20, 1998 / 47(06);105-108.
• Muros, Jose. “Likelihood of Suffering From an Eating Disorder in a Sample of Spanish Cyclists and Triathletes.” Journal of Eating Disorders, vol. 8, no. 70, 2020.
• Oppliger, R. A. “Bulimic Behaviors Among Interscholastic Wrestlers: A Statewide Survey.” Pediatrics, vol. 91, no. 4, 1993, pp. 826-31.
• Ransone, Jack. “Body-Weight Fluctuation in Collegiate Wrestlers: Implications of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Weight-Certification Program.” Journal of Athletic Training, vol. 39, no. 2, 2004, pp. 162-165.
• Sundgot-Borgen, Jorunn. “How to minimise the health risks to athletes who compete in weight-sensitive sports review and position statement on behalf of the Ad Hoc Research Working Group on Body Composition, Health and Performance, under the auspices of the IOC Medical Commission.” British Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 47, 2013, pp. 1012-1022.

After a very successful 6-week “Couch to Cat C” project, my cousin Boone took a week off for a little skiing and rest. But soon enough he was back in my office, and we were making plans.

“What should we do next?” was our question to each other. He’d gone from a rookie cyclist with a starting FTP of 1.92w/kg to a stronger, lighter 2.62w/kg version in six weeks. He was now a C racer, but he was looking to continue dropping weight while building fitness.

We needed a goal. A SMART goal: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-based. So we settled on this: From C to Shining C. Boone was a beginner C with watts per kilo that barely got him out of the D category. Could we move him to a podium spot in a C race over 5 weeks? That’s the new goal.

The Plan

The basic plan we’ve settled on for the 5 weeks contains a mix of four different types of rides. (Many thanks to Alan Dempsey of HPP Coaching for giving us solid advice that sets Boone up for success).

• Races: Boone will race the C’s every week or two to check his progress, work on race craft, and of course get in a good workout.
• VO2 Workouts: this will be the cornerstone workout of each week. Nobody likes VO2 work, but we both agree Boone is getting a lot of benefit from these.
• Pace Partner Intervals: we’ll use the Pace Partners (Diesel or Cadence) to anchor a fun, interactive interval workout. Warm up with the pace partner, then sprint off the front for 15s. Or drop off the back, and put in a measured 2-minute effort to get back on. Lots of options here.
• FTP Ramp Tests: we’ll do at least two ramp tests to measure FTP progress.
• Recovery Rides: some days, Boone will just need an easier effort in the saddle. Since he’s still a beginning cyclist, even easy efforts are far from wasted.

Ride 1: Boone’s First C Race

In Boone’s last race he broke away from the D’s and soloed to glorious victory. But now he was a C, and we needed to set a baseline. How would he perform in a higher category?

First things first, we needed to update his account and give him any and all advantages he could legally get. That meant adjusting his weight once again (down to 231.4 pounds!) and buying his first new bike – the Canyon Aeroad 2021. He now had the Aeroad + DT Swiss wheels – a solid racing setup.

After an easy warmup he headed to Crit City of 8 laps of the Bell Lap. There were 38 C’s in the race – not a small group! But Boone did a great job of pushing hard to make the front selection of 15 riders going into lap 2.

Once again I was on the keyboard, manning his powerups. But he was getting the worst powerups! Ghosts. Steamrollers. One feather, thankfully. But that was the best we got.

There were clearly some strong riders pushing the pace in the front group. Boone was in no position to attack – he was just trying to hold on up and over the twisty climb each lap. And on the 5th lap he finally go gapped off the back.

At first he tried to keep his pace up enough to stay away from the three riders who were about 40s behind, but it became clear he wouldn’t be able to do that. So instead he heeded my advice to ease up, recover, and get caught. He could probably outsprint them, as long as his legs weren’t toast.

And that’s exactly what he did! He sprinted off the front of his small chase group, then somehow managed to tap the left shift lever, dropping the chain into the small ring in front! I reached up and pushed the lever back, the chain went to the big ring, Boone powered back up… and got second in his group, good enough for 17th place on Zwift’s results, and 10th on ZwiftPower.

We had a baseline. And Boone was pleased with his result, given it was his first C race and he wasn’t feeling great that day anyway.

But here’s the bummer about this race – check out ZwiftPower’s “Unfiltered” view of the event:

In the front group of 14 riders, 6 were DQ’d by ZwiftPower for sandbagging. Two additional riders were not DQ’d, but averaged 3.4 for the race, meaning they are actually-level B riders.

Could Boone have hung with the front without all the B-grade firepower pushing the pace? Probably. Would he have won? Probably not. Not yet, anyway. And while Boone is perfectly willing to take his lumps as a new C, he also thinks it’s silly that Zwift can’t stop sandbaggers from signing up for a category well below their FTP. I absolutely agree.

See results in ZwiftPower >
See this ride on Strava >

Ride 2: V02 Workout

Two days later we headed to the Epic KOM for a VO2 workout. If you’ve never done a VO2 workout, let me say this: you probably should. Also let me say: you’re going to hate me once you begin the workout.

VO2 efforts are generally 3-5 minutes in length, with 3-5 minutes of recovery between each interval. The hard effort is 110-120% of your FTP, and you usually do 5 intervals.

It’s a real butt kicker. The first couple intervals feel doable, but if you’re doing it right, the last one is a real struggle.

Boone did 3 minutes on, 3:30 off for this week’s workout. His previous VO2 workout had been done a few weeks earlier at an FTP of 250W… but he had since tested at 278W. So his VO2 intervals had jumped from 290W to 320W. Ouch!

I had the bright idea to create a custom playlist for today’s workout: one hand-picked rocker for each of the five intervals:

1. Danger Zone (best workout kickoff song ever)
2. Eye of the Tiger
3. Living on Prayer (we’re halfway there, right?)
4. Pour Some Sugar On Me
5. No Pain No Gain (Scorpions, a favorite band of Boone’s)

Honestly, I had my doubts about Boone being able to finish all 5 intervals, given the big wattage jump he’d made. But he kicked this workout’s butt! Destroyed it. Owned it. Our plan for the next VO2 workout is to add a few seconds to the VO2 interval, and subtract a few from the rest interval.

Starting and ending heartrate for each interval – talk about a steady progression! You can see he wasn’t quite able to recover heading into the final set:

• 161>178
• 158>180
• 158>183
• 161>185
• 165>187

See this ride on Strava >

Ride 3: Sprint + Spin with Cara

For this ride, our plan was to test out a few different types of intervals while riding with C. Cadence.

After a solid warmup, we did our first set: 15s sprints, 45s recovery, 5 times. This didn’t seem like a crazy hard effort to me, but it absolutely fried Boone’s legs. In hindsight, he probably came into this ride more tuckered than he realized.

He didn’t really have enough left for any hard intervals after that, so he rode with Cara to finish out the hour. It may not seem like much, and it wasn’t what we had planned… but compared to him struggling to hold her wheel for 30 minutes just a few weeks ago… this is major progress!

See this ride on Strava >

Ride 4: Recovery Ride + New Kit

Our goal for this effort was to give Boone a true recovery ride – he was tired from a long week, and would be riding the next day. So today shouldn’t make him work – it should help him recover.

This is such a key training principle, and so many cyclists get it wrong. You don’t get stronger while doing hard rides! You get stronger when you recover from hard rides. So you can’t just keep killing yourself every day and expect to build fitness. Instead, you need to alternate between hard days and rest days. Make your hard days hard. Make your easy days easy. This is the way.

Boone his level 11 at the end of his ride, so we restyled his avatar, putting him in some digital camo and giving his Canyon a fresh coat of matching yellow paint. He’s looking like a serious C rider now!

See this ride on Strava >

Week 1 Takeaways

This was a very reassuring week for Boone. After a rest week, it felt good for him to come back, perform well in his first C race, and boss his upgraded VO2 workout.

At the same time, his workouts are becoming more physically demanding – he needs more than temp time in the saddle in order to build fitness to the next level. Boone’s learning that his workdays as a builder can really make it tough to put in a hard effort in the afternoons – so we’re talking about trying a morning workout or two, or at least being able to plan workouts around his day’s work a bit better.

Questions or Comments?

Post below!