Flagging an activity in Xert tells the system to ignore that activity for purposes of updating your Fitness Signature. When you flag an activity, your signature reverts to the values it held before that activity, and all your activity data (XSS, MPA, difficulty, fat/carb usage, etc.) is recalculated from that point forward.
Flagging is reversible — you can unflag an activity at any time, and Xert will reprocess the data again.
Why Flag an Activity?
The most common reason to flag an activity is that a breakthrough was recorded but isn't representative of your true fitness. A few scenarios where this comes up:
Bad power data
Power meter calibration issues, temperature drift, or a power spike caused by a sensor glitch can produce a recorded power that's higher than what you actually rode. If you got a breakthrough from data you don't believe, flag the activity. Your signature reverts to its prior values.
Race or group ride breakthroughs you can't replicate
It's common to produce power in a race or fast group ride that you can't reproduce in regular training — driven by adrenaline, drafting, or competitive dynamics. Xert will use that effort to update your signature, but if you find your post-race numbers feel inflated for everyday training, flagging the race activity reverts the changes.
This isn't an indictment of races as training data — many users find race breakthroughs genuinely useful. But if your post-race signature is making everyday workouts feel impossibly hard, flagging is a valid response.
Breakthroughs on short, steep climbs
Power on a short climb can be higher than what you'd produce on flat terrain due to position on the bike, gearing, and gravity dynamics. If a climb-driven breakthrough doesn't translate to your day-to-day training, flagging is reasonable.
Breakthroughs you want to confirm before accepting
If a breakthrough seems unusually high and you want to verify it's real before letting it update your signature, you can flag the activity temporarily. If you produce a similar effort again in a future ride, you'll have more confidence the new signature is accurate — at which point you can unflag the original activity.
Near-breakthroughs that lower your signature
Near-breakthroughs can lower your signature when Xert determines your current data doesn't support previous values. If you'd prefer to keep your existing signature — for example, if you suspect the lower power output was due to fatigue or conditions rather than a real fitness change — you can flag the activity to revert the change.
You can also use the Previous and Save buttons below the MPA chart on the activity details page to revert the activity's signature change without flagging the whole activity. This is a more targeted way to undo a single signature update.
What Happens When You Flag an Activity
Flagging triggers a chain of recalculations:
- Your signature reverts to the values it held at the start of the activity
- The activity's data is recalculated — XSS, MPA, difficulty score, fat/carb usage, and other metrics are recomputed using the reverted signature
- All subsequent activities are recalculated — Xert reprocesses every activity that came after the flagged one, applying the reverted signature, signature decay, and searching for any new breakthroughs in those activities
If you flag a recent activity, this recalculation finishes in a few seconds. If you flag an activity from months ago, the recalculation takes longer — sometimes considerably longer if there are hundreds of activities to reprocess. A pop-up will show the recalculation progress.
A note on training load: Because XSS values are recalculated, your Training Load history (Low, High, and Peak) may also shift slightly after a flag. This is expected.
Where to Flag (and Unflag) an Activity
You can flag or unflag an activity from several places:
- Activity details page — open the activity and use the flag option
- Activities dashboard — flag directly from the activity card
- Activities table — flag from the table view in your activities list
- Fitness Planner — flag from the planner
Use whichever is most convenient — they all do the same thing.
Unflagging an Activity
If you change your mind, you can unflag an activity at any time. The breakthrough is re-applied to your signature, and subsequent activities are recalculated again.
There's no limit on how many times you can flag and unflag — Xert simply reprocesses your data each time. If you're not sure whether to flag, you can experiment safely.
When NOT to Flag
A few situations where flagging probably isn't the right answer:
- You had a bad day and your power was lower than usual. A single weaker effort won't typically generate a near-breakthrough that lowers your signature — and if it did, that's Xert responding to your data, not a flag-worthy issue.
- You want your numbers higher than your data supports. Flagging is a tool for correcting questionable data, not for inflating your signature. Repeatedly flagging legitimate breakthroughs will leave your signature out of sync with your actual fitness.
- You're trying to "save" old numbers for psychological reasons. If your data genuinely shows your fitness has declined (after time off, illness, etc.), accepting the lower signature is more useful than fighting it. Xert's training recommendations work better when your signature is accurate.
Related Articles
- Breakthrough & Near-Breakthrough — what these mean and how they update your signature
- How to Verify Your Fitness Signature — and what to do if it seems wrong — broader guidance on signature accuracy
- How to Analyze an Activity Using MPA — reviewing your activity data in depth
- Signature Decay in Xert — how Xert handles inactivity and what flagging interacts with
Need Help?
If flagging produces unexpected results — your signature didn't revert, recalculations seem stuck, or you're seeing activities you didn't expect to change — contact support@xertonline.com.
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