(FILES) German cycling enthusiast Dieter 'Didi' Senft, nicknamed "El diablo" poses on July 10, 2013 in front of the Mont-Saint-Michel, before the start of the 33 km individual time-trial and eleventh stage of the 100th edition of the Tour de France cycling race between Avranches and Mont-Saint-Michel, northwestern France. For more than 30 years, Dieter "Didi" Senft has been one of the Tour de France's most recognisable figures without ever riding a stage. Better known as "El Diablo" (The Devil), the German superfan appears each July in a bright red devil costume, complete with horns, cape and trident. Since first appearing along the race route in 1993, Senft has entertained roadside crowds and television audiences, sprinting or jumping alongside riders. His devil persona was inspired by the Tour's "flamme rouge", the red banner marking the final kilometre. A former amateur cyclist, locksmith and inventor, Senft has also crafted dozens of novelty bicycles, earning him a Guinness World Record. Despite health and financial setbacks, he has remained a fixture of the race and a symbol of its colourful roadside culture. After thieves broke into his camper van at the start of the 2026 Tour de France race in Barcelona, forcing him to miss the opening stage, Senft returned to the route within days, trident in hand, reinforcing his status as one of the Tour's most enduring characters. (Photo by Joël SAGET / AFP via Getty Images)

(FILES) German cycling enthusiast Dieter 'Didi' Senft, nicknamed "El diablo" cheers as the pack of riders (peloton) cycles during the 9th stage of the 113th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 154,6 km between Malemort and Ussel in central France, on July 12, 2026. For more than 30 years, Dieter "Didi" Senft has been one of the Tour de France's most recognisable figures without ever riding a stage. Better known as "El Diablo" (The Devil), the German superfan appears each July in a bright red devil costume, complete with horns, cape and trident. Since first appearing along the race route in 1993, Senft has entertained roadside crowds and television audiences, sprinting or jumping alongside riders. His devil persona was inspired by the Tour's "flamme rouge", the red banner marking the final kilometre. A former amateur cyclist, locksmith and inventor, Senft has also crafted dozens of novelty bicycles, earning him a Guinness World Record. Despite health and financial setbacks, he has remained a fixture of the race and a symbol of its colourful roadside culture. After thieves broke into his camper van at the start of the 2026 Tour de France race in Barcelona, forcing him to miss the opening stage, Senft returned to the route within days, trident in hand, reinforcing his status as one of the Tour's most enduring characters. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP via Getty Images)

(FILES) models pose with German cycling enthusiast Dieter 'Didi' Senft, nicknamed "El diablo" as German Jan Ullrich (Bianchi/Ger) followed by Spaniard Iban Mayo (Euskaltel/Spa) pass by during the 15th stage of the 90th Tour de France cycling race between Bagneres-de-Bigorre and Luz-Ardiden, July 21, 2003. For more than 30 years, Dieter "Didi" Senft has been one of the Tour de France's most recognisable figures without ever riding a stage. Better known as "El Diablo" (The Devil), the German superfan appears each July in a bright red devil costume, complete with horns, cape and trident. Since first appearing along the race route in 1993, Senft has entertained roadside crowds and television audiences, sprinting or jumping alongside riders. His devil persona was inspired by the Tour's "flamme rouge", the red banner marking the final kilometre. A former amateur cyclist, locksmith and inventor, Senft has also crafted dozens of novelty bicycles, earning him a Guinness World Record. Despite health and financial setbacks, he has remained a fixture of the race and a symbol of its colourful roadside culture. After thieves broke into his camper van at the start of the 2026 Tour de France race in Barcelona, forcing him to miss the opening stage, Senft returned to the route within days, trident in hand, reinforcing his status as one of the Tour's most enduring characters. (Photo by JOEL SAGET / AFP via Getty Images)

(FILES) German cycling enthusiast Dieter 'Didi' Senft, nicknamed "El diablo" poses with his devil costume inside his van in Saint-Maximin la-Sainte-Baume near Marseille as he waits for the riders during the tenth stage of the 94th Tour de France cycling race between Tallard and Marseille, July 18, 2007. For more than 30 years, Dieter "Didi" Senft has been one of the Tour de France's most recognisable figures without ever riding a stage. Better known as "El Diablo" (The Devil), the German superfan appears each July in a bright red devil costume, complete with horns, cape and trident. Since first appearing along the race route in 1993, Senft has entertained roadside crowds and television audiences, sprinting or jumping alongside riders. His devil persona was inspired by the Tour's "flamme rouge", the red banner marking the final kilometre. A former amateur cyclist, locksmith and inventor, Senft has also crafted dozens of novelty bicycles, earning him a Guinness World Record. Despite health and financial setbacks, he has remained a fixture of the race and a symbol of its colourful roadside culture. After thieves broke into his camper van at the start of the 2026 Tour de France race in Barcelona, forcing him to miss the opening stage, Senft returned to the route within days, trident in hand, reinforcing his status as one of the Tour's most enduring characters. (Photo by JOE KLAMAR / AFP via Getty Images)

(FILES) German cycling enthusiast Dieter 'Didi' Senft, nicknamed "El diablo" cheers on the riders as he wears a French and Italian flag during the 225 km fifth stage of the 93rd Tour de France cycling race from Beauvais to Caen, July 6, 2006. For more than 30 years, Dieter "Didi" Senft has been one of the Tour de France's most recognisable figures without ever riding a stage. Better known as "El Diablo" (The Devil), the German superfan appears each July in a bright red devil costume, complete with horns, cape and trident. Since first appearing along the race route in 1993, Senft has entertained roadside crowds and television audiences, sprinting or jumping alongside riders. His devil persona was inspired by the Tour's "flamme rouge", the red banner marking the final kilometre. A former amateur cyclist, locksmith and inventor, Senft has also crafted dozens of novelty bicycles, earning him a Guinness World Record. Despite health and financial setbacks, he has remained a fixture of the race and a symbol of its colourful roadside culture. After thieves broke into his camper van at the start of the 2026 Tour de France race in Barcelona, forcing him to miss the opening stage, Senft returned to the route within days, trident in hand, reinforcing his status as one of the Tour's most enduring characters. (Photo by Pascal GUYOT / AFP via Getty Images)

(FILES) German cycling enthusiast Dieter 'Didi' Senft, nicknamed "El diablo" waits for the riders during the 7th stage of the 107th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 168 km between Millau and Lavaur, on September 4, 2020. For more than 30 years, Dieter "Didi" Senft has been one of the Tour de France's most recognisable figures without ever riding a stage. Better known as "El Diablo" (The Devil), the German superfan appears each July in a bright red devil costume, complete with horns, cape and trident. Since first appearing along the race route in 1993, Senft has entertained roadside crowds and television audiences, sprinting or jumping alongside riders. His devil persona was inspired by the Tour's "flamme rouge", the red banner marking the final kilometre. A former amateur cyclist, locksmith and inventor, Senft has also crafted dozens of novelty bicycles, earning him a Guinness World Record. Despite health and financial setbacks, he has remained a fixture of the race and a symbol of its colourful roadside culture. After thieves broke into his camper van at the start of the 2026 Tour de France race in Barcelona, forcing him to miss the opening stage, Senft returned to the route within days, trident in hand, reinforcing his status as one of the Tour's most enduring characters. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP via Getty Images)

(FILES) German cycling enthusiast Dieter 'Didi' Senft, nicknamed "El diablo" paints his symbol on the prologue track on the eve of the start of the 86th cycling race, in Le Puy du Fou, western France, July 2, 1999. For more than 30 years, Dieter "Didi" Senft has been one of the Tour de France's most recognisable figures without ever riding a stage. Better known as "El Diablo" (The Devil), the German superfan appears each July in a bright red devil costume, complete with horns, cape and trident. Since first appearing along the race route in 1993, Senft has entertained roadside crowds and television audiences, sprinting or jumping alongside riders. His devil persona was inspired by the Tour's "flamme rouge", the red banner marking the final kilometre. A former amateur cyclist, locksmith and inventor, Senft has also crafted dozens of novelty bicycles, earning him a Guinness World Record. Despite health and financial setbacks, he has remained a fixture of the race and a symbol of its colourful roadside culture. After thieves broke into his camper van at the start of the 2026 Tour de France race in Barcelona, forcing him to miss the opening stage, Senft returned to the route within days, trident in hand, reinforcing his status as one of the Tour's most enduring characters. (Photo by PATRICK KOVARIK / AFP via Getty Images)

(FILES) German cycling enthusiast Dieter 'Didi' Senft, nicknamed "El diablo" cheers on the riders during the 216.5 km third stage of the 93rd Tour de France cycling race between Esch-sur-Alzette (Luxembourg) and Valkenburg (The Netherlands), July 4, 2006. For more than 30 years, Dieter "Didi" Senft has been one of the Tour de France's most recognisable figures without ever riding a stage. Better known as "El Diablo" (The Devil), the German superfan appears each July in a bright red devil costume, complete with horns, cape and trident. Since first appearing along the race route in 1993, Senft has entertained roadside crowds and television audiences, sprinting or jumping alongside riders. His devil persona was inspired by the Tour's "flamme rouge", the red banner marking the final kilometre. A former amateur cyclist, locksmith and inventor, Senft has also crafted dozens of novelty bicycles, earning him a Guinness World Record. Despite health and financial setbacks, he has remained a fixture of the race and a symbol of its colourful roadside culture. After thieves broke into his camper van at the start of the 2026 Tour de France race in Barcelona, forcing him to miss the opening stage, Senft returned to the route within days, trident in hand, reinforcing his status as one of the Tour's most enduring characters. (Photo by Pascal GUYOT / AFP via Getty Images)