In the culture of elite endurance racing, “The Devil” (known as Didi the Devil oder El Diablo) is the moniker of Dieter “Didi” Senft, a German cycling superfan who has become a permanent fixture of the Grand Tours. Since 1993, Senft has attended nearly every edition of the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia, easily recognizable in his signature red devil costume and pitchfork. His iconic look is a direct nod to the “devil’s red flag”—the red triangular banner known as the flamme rouge that hangs above the road to signal the final kilometer of a race.
Senft is widely regarded as a “good sport” and a mascot for the suffering athlete. He often travels weeks ahead of the race in a custom-decorated camper van to scout the route, painstakingly painting his signature white trident symbols on the tarmac of the most iconic mountain passes to signal where he will be waiting. His exuberant roadside antics—including his famous vertical leaps in front of the riders—are so consistent that TV commentators routinely point him out year after year.
Off the road, Senft is a prolific inventor and a titan of the Guinness World Records, holding 17 different titles for his unorthodox and giant bicycle contraptions. His engineering feats include building the world’s largest ride-on bicycle (standing over 3.7 meters high) and a massive 14-meter-long bicycle shaped like a guitar. These creations are often showcased at his museum in Storkow, Germany, reflecting a lifelong obsession with the mechanics of the wheel.
