Zwift Categories A/B/C/D Explained: Racing Score Decoded (2026)
You raced as a C, finished 12th, and the next morning Zwift moved you up to B. Your power numbers did not change — and you never crossed the famous 3.2 W/kg line. Welcome to Zwift Racing Score, where your race results move your pen — not only your watts.
The 2026 Category System in One Paragraph
Since October 2024, most public Zwift races set their pens with one number: the Zwift Racing Score (ZRS) — a 0-to-1,000 score seeded from your best 5-minute power of the last 90 days (relative to your weight) and moved by your race results. The old W/kg cutoffs (A 4.0+, B 3.2–4.0, C 2.5–3.2, D below 2.5) belong to the older category model, which some formats outside Racing Score still use. That shift is what catches most riders by surprise: your pen follows your results, not just your watts.
Are the Old Wattage Cutoffs Still Relevant?
Yes — in some formats, and as a rough guide.
Races that don't use Racing Score can still group riders by the older W/kg categories. And even under Racing Score, watts per kilo are where your number starts: your seed comes from your best 5-minute power relative to your weight. From there, race results take over — a C rider who keeps finishing near the front moves up before any power line says so, because the score follows your performance, not only your power.
If you race regularly, expect your results to drive your score. If you are doing your first race this Saturday, your recent best 5-minute power is what places you.
zFTP, Tested FTP, and Pcrit — Three Numbers, Three Uses
Three "threshold" numbers float around the Zwift universe and they are not interchangeable.
- Tested FTP is the number you set after a Ramp, 20-min, or Grade test. It is your declared baseline. Zwift uses it for ERG-mode workouts.
- zFTP is Zwift's automatic estimate from your recent best efforts — a handy cross-check on the FTP you set, kept up to date without any extra test.
- Pcrit (Critical Power) is the underlying physiology number that a Mader-model Powertest returns. It is typically 3–8 W lower than FTP and is the value your training plan should actually be built from.
When you race, Zwift reads your Racing Score. When you do a workout, it reads your set FTP, with zFTP as the automatic cross-check. When you want your block built on your metabolism, Pcrit from a Powertest adds that layer. Three different numbers, three different jobs.
zMAP — The Number You Have Never Heard Of
Zwift also keeps an automatic estimate of your maximal aerobic power, zMAP, updated from your rides just like zFTP.
For coaching purposes, zMAP correlates closely with the VO2max-anchored power the Mader model returns — roughly 110–130% of your Pcrit, depending on rider type.
Typical 2026 Category Ranges
| Cat | Older W/kg category |
|---|---|
| A | 4.0+ |
| B | 3.2–4.0 |
| C | 2.5–3.2 |
| D | Below 2.5 |
These W/kg lines belong to the older category model that some formats outside Racing Score still use. For Racing Score itself, Zwift Insider — Racing Score listed example bands at the October 2024 launch: 690–1,000, 520–690, 350–520, 180–350 and 1–180. Race organisers can set their own bands, so check the event page before you pick a pen.
How Promotions Actually Trigger
Two routes get you promoted:
- The 5-minute route. A new 5-minute best lifts the power your Racing Score is seeded from, and the score climbs with it.
- The results route. Strong finishes against strong fields raise your score, even if your power bests stay put. This is the route most riders find themselves on, and the one behind the "I never crossed 3.2 but I'm in B now" surprise many riders talk about in Zwift-racing forums.
Both routes reward the same thing: fitness you can ride on race day. A Mader-anchored block that lifts your true Pcrit by 8–12 W feeds both at once — a higher 5-minute best and stronger finishes.
The 4-Week Promotion Blueprint (Teaser)
If your goal is the C-to-B jump, the most direct lever is the power your Racing Score is seeded from: your best 5 minutes. Lift it, then race on it — a higher 5-minute best and stronger finishes move your score together.
The block we run our athletes through has three weekly pillars:
- Two threshold sessions (4 × 8 min at 100–105% of Pcrit, Tuesday and Saturday). These lift the threshold portion of your curve directly.
- One VO2max session (5 × 4 min at 115–120% Pcrit, Thursday). Raises the 5-minute power your Racing Score is seeded from, and pulls threshold up indirectly.
- One long aerobic ride (90–120 min Zone 2, Sunday). Builds the mitochondrial base that keeps the threshold work absorbable.
Three weeks of stimulus, one week of cut-back, and a fresh test on day 28. The full block — with exact watt targets per rider type, the cut-back week structure, and the mistakes that wipe out the gain — is the next read in this series:
Read it now: The 4-Week VO2max Block for Cyclists: From C to B, Watt by Watt →
Before the block starts, the Zwift FTP test you pick decides which protocol you use to measure the gain at the end of the block, and what a Powertest adds to your Zwift FTP test → shows the metabolic layer underneath that gain.
From Zwift's Auto Numbers to Your Metabolic Profile
zFTP and zMAP are a real convenience: Zwift keeps them up to date from your rides at no extra effort, and because they follow your recent efforts, they move once you've ridden the new fitness. If you want to plan the block above on your metabolic profile — with individual zone boundaries — a Mader-model Powertest packs about 25 minutes of efforts (10 s + 4 min + 12 min plus recoveries) into a 1.5–2.5 h session including warm-up, and returns Pcrit, VO2max, and VLamax directly. And to see where that VO2max number puts you, the VO2max table by age and gender ranks it against 15,000+ Powertests.
Start a free trial of A Faster You and your first Powertest sets the baseline. From there, the plan schedules every interval at watts built on your VO2max and VLamax — and pushes them straight into Zwift.
FAQ
Why was I bumped to B after a single race? Racing Score updates after every race and weighs your finish against the field you raced. A podium against a strong field can lift you over the band boundary even if your W/kg has not moved. It works both ways: a weak result, or an old 5-minute best ageing out of the 90-day window, can bring the score down again.
Can I sandbag back to C if I get promoted too early? Not deliberately — the score follows your results and your recent 5-minute power, so it settles where you actually race. If you stop racing, old bests age out of the 90-day window and the score drifts down: a slow path that buys you nothing.
Does zMAP override zFTP? For category placement, Racing Score is the input in most races today. zMAP and zFTP are useful reads on your engine, not the pen-setter.
What if my tested FTP is higher than my zFTP? For your pen, neither number decides in most races — Racing Score does. For workouts, Zwift uses the FTP you set; zFTP catches up once your recent rides show the higher power. If you want both to agree, re-test in 4–6 weeks.
Do bots or AI-assisted training accounts get treated differently? No. Zwift's category logic does not distinguish how the plan was generated. A rider following an A Faster You plan, a Coggan-style block, or self-prescribed intervals enters the same Racing-Score machinery. What differs is the rate of fitness change — and that's where a plan built on your measured metabolism can add an extra edge.
Where do I find my zFTP and zMAP? You'll find both in your Zwift profile; Zwift's help pages show the current location. Your Racing Score itself is shown in the Zwift Companion app and on your profile at zwift.com.
Sources: Mader, A. (2003) — Glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation as a function of cytosolic phosphorylation state and power output of the muscle cell. Eur J Appl Physiol, 88(4–5), 317–338. Mader, A. & Heck, H. (1986) — A theory of the metabolic origin of the "anaerobic threshold". Int J Sports Med, 7 Suppl 1, 45–65. Buchheit, M. & Laursen, P.B. (2013) — High-intensity interval training, solutions to the programming puzzle. Sports Medicine, 43. Zwift help docs and Racing Score documentation as of 2026-05; Zwift Insider — Racing Score. Mader-model cohort: 1,202 A Faster You athletes, 15,000+ Powertests, 1M+ analysed training sessions (2026 baseline).