Looking at the new update it gives me hope to still complete this eFonde that Zwift has planned. The original start is at 1am my time so it’s not hard to realize that is quite the impossible hour to Zwift 
After this new update we can now join group rides after the start, how many hours do we have to join the ride late? Or in other words: Can I get my proper sleep first then start the eFondo at 10am?
Hi Quentijn- We’re really excited to introduce late start for events too. However, the intention of late start is to give a little buffer time for those who encounter login issues, pairing issues, an update takes longer than expected, etc. “Late start” for events is capped at 15 minutes and is not allowed on races. Because of this, I don’t think that it will serve the purpose you’re looking for it to, but what I can tell you is that we are in the planning stages of multiple eFondo’s this year which will spread multiple timezones. Eventually there will be an event you can join in on that won’t start in the middle of the night for you 
I missed a scheduled group ride by less than a minute due to technical difficulties. When I tried to join it again it was grayed out and I did not see any “late start” option. Ended up doing a free ride but was disappointed not to ride with the group.
Can you tell me the steps to join a group ride after the starting time please?
Well, I ran into the same problem with the January Zwift fondo US: I was 5 min late signing in to Zwift. In the top right corner, on the list of events, it said I was going (I’d signed up for the “B” the day before), so I just clicked the “start ride” button - but then I was on the side of the road in regular kit and my auto-route was the 3 sisters instead of the pretzel. I rode with the Bambino group, but pretty sure I was not officially in.
Clearly I did something wrong (besides being late!) What’s the process for joining late? I can’t find anything that explains how to “Late Start”.
Zwift Fondo rides start at 10:00 AM for me, but on Sundays, I can’t join until after noon. My solution: log in to Zwift before leaving for church. When I get home, I’m in the start area, ready to go. I warm up for a few minutes on the ride, then start a TrainerRoad workout on my bike phone so I can do the plan work for that day. Multitasking at it’s best.
When I complete the ride, I get a ranking–usually near last place because I the late start counts against me, but I’m not in it for the ranking.
This method also worked for the Maratona Fondo and would probably work for other events (not group rides or workouts), as long as you finish by the event cutoff time.
Also see:https://support.zwift.com/hc/en-us/community/posts/115017820623-Joining-Group-Ride-Late-One-Problem