Your usual Zwift race could start an hour later in South Africa when overseas clocks change. Or it could stay exactly where it is. 🤷♀️
The deciding detail isn’t where the organizer lives. It’s which clock the event is scheduled on. Get that right, and you won’t be the one pedaling into an empty start pen, or warming up an hour late while the pack disappears up the Epic KOM.
If you’re brand new to group rides, start with my first Zwift group ride guide and its SA time tip. This post adds one seasonal question: does your recurring event follow UTC, or the organizer’s local clock?
First things first: your clock isn’t moving
South African Standard Time remains at UTC+2 year-round, as defined by NMISA. You don’t change anything here. It’s everyone else who’s shuffling.
- Sunday 25 October 2026: the UK goes back from British Summer Time to GMT (GOV.UK). EU countries go back on the same day, the last Sunday of October (Government of the Netherlands).
- Sunday 1 November 2026: US areas that observe daylight saving go back at 02:00 local time (NIST). Not every part of the US does this.
Those dates are a week apart. So, for that in-between week, a UK or European ride may have already moved, while a US-run one hasn’t yet. One check won’t cover your whole diary.
UTC or local time? Why your Zwift start may (or may not) move
Here are two made-up examples to show how it works. They’re calculations, not real event listings.
Example 1: a ride that sticks to 19:00 UK time
- Before 25 October: 19:00 BST is 18:00 UTC, which is 20:00 SAST.
- After 25 October: 19:00 GMT is 19:00 UTC, which is 21:00 SAST.
Same ride, same organizer, but you’re on the bike an hour later here at home.
Example 2: a ride fixed at 19:00 UTC
Add two hours, and it’s 21:00 SAST, both before and after the UK change. Its South African start doesn’t budge.
To be clear: I’m not saying any particular race, team, or group ride is changing its start time. And an organizer’s location alone doesn’t tell you which rule they use. That’s why the check below matters.
Don’t shift every Zwift appointment by an hour. Check each dated event on its own.
How to check your Zwift event time in SAST
- Set your phone to South African time. Check your device’s time zone before you trust anything on screen.
- Open the specific, dated event in Zwift Companion. Look at the date and the start time, not just the recurring series.
- Don’t double-convert. In the Zwift forums, Monica from Zwift confirms that event times are displayed in your time zone, based on your device and country settings. If your phone is set to SA time, don’t add another 2 hours to the start time you see.
- Compare with the organizer’s current info. An old poster, a recurring calendar entry or the time you “always” ride may be out of date. If things don’t match, ask the organizer before you rely on either.
- Update your calendar, then work backward. Once the start is verified, set your warm-up time and reminder.
Your free clock-change ride checklist
Use this for your next three rides around the clock changes. Only fill in a start time once you’ve actually verified it. A blank line is better than a wrong one. 🩷
🚴♀️ The Clock-Change Ride Check
1. Which clock does your event follow?
- Fixed to UTC: your SAST start stays the same.
- Organizer’s local time: after their clocks change, your SAST start moves one hour later.
- Not sure: don’t guess. Check the dated listing, then ask the organizer.
2. Quick cheat sheet: organizer time → SAST
| Organiser clock | Before change | After change | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| UTC | add 2 h | add 2 h | never moves |
| UK | add 1 h | add 2 h | 25 Oct |
| Central Europe | same time | add 1 h | 25 Oct |
| US Eastern | add 6 h | add 7 h | 1 Nov |
| US Pacific | add 9 h | add 10 h | 1 Nov |
Only needed if you’re converting an organizer’s poster or message yourself. Zwift Companion already shows your local time. Watch for late starts that roll past midnight into the next SA date.
3. Tick these off for every ride
- ☐ Phone set to South African time
- ☐ Opened the dated event in Zwift Companion
- ☐ Organizer’s latest info matches the listing
- ☐ Verified SAST start written down
- ☐ Calendar updated and warm-up reminder set
- ☐ Rechecked the listing on race day
Want it on paper? The printable version includes space for three rides, the key dates, and the cheat sheet on a single A4 page.
New to indoor racing? Get your setup sorted first
Knowing the start time is one thing. Being on the bike with your fan on, bottle filled, and trainer paired is another. The Indoor Cycling Starter Pack is my no-fluff guide to getting your Zwift setup right without spending money on things you don’t need.
Final thoughts
Clock changes are one of those tiny admin things that can quietly wreck a race night. The fix isn’t complicated: check the dated listing, confirm with the organizer if anything looks off, and write down only what you’ve verified.
Then reopen the listing before you ride, just in case the schedule was updated in the meantime. Future you, warmed up and sitting in the right start pen, will be very grateful. 🚴♀️💕
🩷The Endurance Diaries🩷
