DLR ExCeLs itself for stupidity

London Underground is the bane of my life. I'm sure it is the bane of most commuters' lives, particularly those who live on the Epping branch of the Central Line. I've no doubt that it is a subject that will unfortunately crop up on this blog on a regular basis.

But this weekend, the powers that be on the Docklands Light Railway managed to upstage their Tube counterparts for stupidity and sheer bloody mindedness. In their infinite wisdom, they decided to ban competitors in the London Triathlon from taking their bikes on DLR trains.

The world's biggest triathlon takes place at the ExCeL Centre in Docklands, which is accessible either by road or by using the DLR. So for those of us who don't drive, our only option for getting to the ExCeL Centre is to cycle there.

My race was at 07.00 on Sunday. Before the race, I had to register my bike, pick up my timing chip and then prepare for the start (set out my kit, applied vaseline and suncream, put on my wetsuit etc). Basically, I would have needed to arrive at least an hour before the race. As I live in rural Essex, I would have had to set off from home at about 04.00. And then after cycling more than 20 miles, there would have been the little matter of a 1.5km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run.

Needless to say, I never made the start line. And there were hundreds of others in the same boat, many of whom were raising money for charity.

In previous years, special dispensation has been made for two days to allow competitors to transport their bikes to and from the venue. It wasn't ideal for anyone. But it was common sense.

If the DLR operated in a competitive market, it wouldn't have any customers. I'm going to write to the company to ask for it to refund my £90 entry fee. Watch this space.