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

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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.¹

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.²  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.³

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.”⁴ 

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.⁵

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!

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

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Cycling is classified as a weight-sensitive sport, wherein high body weight restricts performance by making it more difficult to move against gravity.  Therefore, body weight and body composition are crucial performance variables. 

As a consequence, athletes with very low body weight, frequent weight fluctuation, and eating disorders are prevalent as the pressure to gain a competitive edge ever increases.¹

Prevalence of Extreme Dieting

In an article published in the British Medical Journal it was determined that male elite athletes had as high as a 32.5% prevalence rate for extreme dieting and cited competing in weight-sensitive sports as the most frequently associated risk factor.⁶ Furthermore, a study published in the Journal of the American Dietary Association suggests that male cyclists often do not consume adequate nutrients to sustain their metabolic needs, do not know how to identify disordered eating habits, and are therefore at greater risk for eating disorders.⁷

In 2005 the International Olympic Committee, realizing an equal or greater health risk in women, convened an expert panel to create a consensus statement describing the issue.  The Female Athlete Triad was defined as the relationship between three interrelated components: energy availability, menstrual function (amenorrhea), and bone health.⁸

It was determined through scientific evidence that the factor most influential in the Triad is Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport.  The syndrome of RED-S, most commonly found in women, refers to impaired physical function including, but not limited to, metabolic rate, menstrual function, bone health, immunity, protein synthesis, and cardiovascular health caused by chronic energy deficiency.

A study of a sample of 4037 cyclists and triathletes from across Spain, published in The Journal of Eating Disorders, showed that 17.9% had a higher likelihood of suffering from an eating disorder.  Females and cyclists presented in a higher prevalence, suggesting that even in non-elite athletes, sport has an influence upon eating disorder risk.⁹

(For comparison, a systematic review meant to estimate the prevalence of eating disorders in the worldwide general population published in 2013 showed the estimated lifetime prevalence of any eating disorder was 1.01%. The estimated lifetime prevalence of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder was determined to be 0.21%. The estimated female-male ratio for lifetime prevalence of any eating disorder was 4.2.¹⁰)

The Extreme Dieting Continuum and Cycling

The range of abnormal eating patterns seen amongst competitive cyclists is described beginning with what is termed disordered eating (DE) and progresses in severity to clinical eating disorders (ED).  Disordered eating practices, which are found in 20% of female and 8% of male elite athletes, includes the use of short-term restrictive diets (<30kcal/kg per day).  The progression ends with clinical eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge disorder.  

Factors specific to cycling, such as dieting to enhance performance, overtraining, and certain regulations have been suggested as contributory to disordered eating.  The issue has gained international attention after the recent admission by pro cyclist Jani Brojkovic who stated, “the problem of eating disorders in the peloton is a major one.”  When describing his personal experience on his website, he stated “It’s about a poor relationship with food-disordered eating, which became an eating disorder, bulimia.” 

Not Only an In Real-Life Problem

Speaking under the cloak of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issue, an elite Zwift racer who wishes to remain nameless informed me that the issue of extreme dieting is not exclusive to real-life competition:

“A protocol would include short-term starvation and dehydration before taking on just enough water and food to cover the event.  It isn’t against the rules, it is just a part of our sport,” he stated matter of factly.  He went on to say, “Training for six hours on a bowl of cereal, coming back, taking a sleeping pill, and sleeping until dinner is seen as normal, when it is far from it!

Although disordered eating and extreme dieting are definitely not the norm in Zwift racing, it is an existing health risk which can jeopardize the safety of athletes. Sound policies and practices must be instituted from the top down to mediate the risks, and healthy attitudes toward diet and conditioning should be regularly communicated and encouraged.

Contributing Factors for Virtual Cyclists

The health-related risks associated with abnormal dietary practices is not limited to the pro peloton, or even to real-life amature and professional cycling.  Esports and virtual cycling competition, through its nature and governance, creates a unique set of circumstances which pose as significant precursors to disordered eating practices and subsequent deleterious effects to athlete’s health and performance. 

The most significant factors are the Esports weigh-in procedure, the relative anonymity and seclusion of athlete performance, and extreme glorification of w/kg as speed determining metric.

Zwift’s weigh-in process for Cycling Esports Events is documented in their ruleset, which is freely available on their website at Zwift Cycling Esports Rules-Appendix A.  In short, the athlete, while clothed in their cycling kit, follows a basic scale calibration and rudimentary zeroing out process, then weighs themselves, all while a video of the process is taken with evidence of a valid time and date stamp.  The video is then uploaded privately to YouTube and the link is sent to the appropriate sanctioning body, which in the case of the Premier League goes directly to the Zwift Cycling Esports Commission.  Athletes can submit videos as early as 24 hours prior to the race.

Statement from Zwift’s Cycling Esports Commision

When asked to comment on the weigh-in procedure, Dr. George Gilbert, Chair of Zwift’s Cycling Esports Commision, wrote:   

The issues with both “body-shaming” and pressure to minimize weight for competitive advantage are very real, and apply to both real-life cycling as well as online.  Zwift is acutely aware of the impact the requirement to weigh-in for events could cause, and we have therefore already built a number of safeguards into our processes, for example:

• The requirement that all weight videos for Zwift events are private.  This eliminates the incentive of “peer-pressure” where a group of riders who may be happy to publicly share their weight, try to pressurise others to also do so.
• The requirement that all riders weigh-in before every race.  This eliminates the incentive of riders crash-dieting before the start of a series to weigh-in light, sitting out the first event while they recover, and then benefiting from their unrealistically low weight for the remaining races.
• The requirement that all riders are appropriately, and similarly, clothed.  This eliminates the incentive for riders to strip down further to try and gain an advantage over their competitors.

We strongly believe that we are leading the industry in setting the right balance between transparency of rider data for the integrity and accuracy of racing, and the privacy and safety of riders in supplying it.

Follow-Up Inquiry

When asked these follow up questions:

• As chair of the Zwift Cycling Esports Commission, what experience do you possess that provides you the knowledge required to make decisions with respect to rider safety and health?
• With respect to the safeguards that you have put in place, was a medical professional who specializes in sports nutrition, disordered eating, and eating disorders consulted prior to creating and implementing the policy?
• What clinical evidence or medical advice do you have proving that weigh-ins prior to each event eliminates the incentive to “crash diet?”

Dr. Gilbert replied:

The answer to all of your questions is broadly the same:

The need to weigh competitors is a long-established part of many sports where weight is a key factor in determining success-rowing and judo, to name just a few.  The rules and regulations for sports in this area are all backed by many decades of medical research, numerous high-quality peer reviewed scientific papers and sharing of experience and best-practice between these sports. Notably this includes the IOC Medical Commission, and their findings on this are available in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (Br J Sports Med.  2013 Nov; 47(16): 1012-22).

Dr. Gilbert references several other sports in his response, but many sports including collegiate and high school wrestling have undergone wholesale changes to reduce the prevalence of disordered eating in their athletes.  A more substantive response would have been welcomed from Dr. Gilbert, a Cambridge-educated scientist with over 25 years of experience in sports governance. But to his (and Zwift’s) credit, he did include the following:

Aside from the formal scientific literature however, from personal experience (as a former lightweight rower), I’ve been weighed and measured publicly, compared against my team-mates, and seen first-hand the pressures of team managers ordering people to lose weight – I truly get on a personal level, as well as professionally, what the issues and consequences are here. As a scientist, I also understand that scientific knowledge is constantly improving, and new approaches to balancing the needs of the integrity of the sport, and the needs of the athletes, are constantly being developed. Zwift is a new and rapidly evolving sport, and we are keen to remain at the forefront of best-practice – we are very open to feedback, and welcome any new evidence or suggestions for ways we can improve still further.

It is also worth mentioning that, while Dr. Gilbert chairs the Zwift Cycling Esports Commission, he is not a Zwift employee, and by his own admission he does not make unilateral policy decisions:

We have experts at Zwift in a wide range of subjects, with those with masters degrees in Physiology, Human Kinetics, Engineering, Physics, Computer Science etc – we also have coaches, former pro-cyclists and software developers who all feed into the Commission to ensure we have a comprehensive and balanced outlook on all matters. It is not a question of me making unilateral decisions based on my personal views, but about me bringing together the right experts with the right knowledge to make the right decisions collectively.

Extreme Dieting in Virtual Cycling is a Problem 

Having established the reasons why disordered eating is a serious issue affecting virtual cyclists, in the next installment of this article series I will be examining Zwift’s current Esports policy and where it falls short compared to the policies of other weight-sensitive sports. 

In addition, we’ll look at the circumstances which prompted those sports to make necessary changes for the safety of their 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 American National Eating Disorders Helpline for guidance and support.

Questions or Comments?

Share below!

Bibliography

• Karrer, Yannis. “Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders in Male Elite Athletes: A Scoping Review.” British Medical Journal, vol. 6, no. 1, 2020, pp. 1-23.
• Mountjoy, Margo. “The IOC Consensus Statement: Beyond the Female Athlete Triad-Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S).” British Journal of Sports Medicine, vol. 48, 2014, pp. 491-497.
• 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.
• Quan, Jie. “Prevalence of eating disorders in the general population: a systematic review.” Shanghai Arch Psychiatry., vol. 25, no. 4, 2013, pp. 212-223.
• Riebl, Shaun. “The Prevalence of Subclinical Eating Disorders Among Male Cyclists.” Journal of the American Dietary Society, vol. 107, no. 7, 2007, pp. 1214-7.
• 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.” Br J Sports Med, vol. 2013 Nov;47(16):1012-22. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2013-092966.