GERMANY: EL DIABLO THE COSTUMED DEVIL WHO CHASES THE TOUR DE FRANCE CYCLE RACE IS LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR'S TOUR

Record ID: 646934

  • Title: GERMANY: EL DIABLO THE COSTUMED DEVIL WHO CHASES THE TOUR DE FRANCE CYCLE RACE IS LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR'S TOUR
  • Date: 30th June 2004
  • Summary: STORKOW, GERMANY (JUNE 28, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. DIDI SENFT, DRESSED AS "EL DIABLO" CYCLING ON ONE OF HIS SELF-MADE BICYCLES 2. EL DIABLO ENTERING HIS MUSEUM 3. EL DIABLO CLIMBING ONTO BIKE 4. CLOSE-UP OF EL DIABLO 5. "LE TOUR DE FRANCE" FORK 6. EL BIABLO JUMPS IN HIS DISTINCTIVE STYLE TO LOOK AT HIS EL DIABLO LICENSE PLATE ON BICYCLE 7. (SOUNDBITE) (German) DIDI SENFT, AKA "EL DIBALO" SAYING: "Fun! I want to make life a little easier for the cyclists and encourage the spectators to applaud them when the cyclists pass them." 8. PHOTOGRAPH OF EL DIABLO AT TOUR DE FRANCE 9. EL DIABLO PHOTOGRAPH 10. BICYLCES ON DISPLAY 11. PHOTOGRAPH OF GERMAN CYCLING STAR JAN ULLRICH AND EL DIABLO 12. (SOUNDBITE) (German) DIDI SENFT, AKA "EL DIBALO" SAYING: "Once the first twenty cyclists have passed the last remaining groups sometimes grab my fork and poke each other. Then I have to run after them to get my fork back -- funny situations. But the first in the field fight for every tenth of a second so thats very serious." 13. BICYCLES ON DISPLAY 14. EL DIABLO GETTING INTO (EAST GERMAN-MADE) TRABANT CAR TURNED BICYCLE 15. EL DIABLO STROKING PIGLET 16. WIDE OF BICYCLE COLLECTION 17. EL DIABLO LIGHTING CANDLE FOR MARCO PANTANI 18. EL DIABLO LOOKING AT CANDLE, PAN TO PHOTOGRAPH OF PANTANI AND EL DIABLO 20. PAN ACROSS PHOTOGRAPH OF PANTANI Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 15th July 2004 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: STORKOW, GERMANY
  • Country: France
  • Reuters ID: LVA59QETWXCISCQGXPK06SLER5MW
  • Story Text: "El Diablo", the costumed devil who chases Tour de
    France cyclists, is looking forward to this year's Tour.

    For the past twelve years, Didi Senft, also known as
    "El Diablo", Spanish for devil, has taken part in more than 200
    international bike races.

    He dresses up as a devil, complete with horns and a
    devil's trident fork, to chase after slowing cyclists as
    they toil up the mountain stages of a race. Jumping up and
    down in a distinctive fashion he pretends to prod the
    unfortunate cyclists with his fork.

    He is the enbodiment of the phrase "Devil take the
    hindmost," and has become a famous figure in newspaper
    coverage of the Tour de France as a result.

    "I want to make life a little easier for the cyclists
    and encourage the spectators to applaud them when they
    pass", Senft said in his Tour museum in the eastern German town of
    Storkow on Monday (June 28).

    Senft says that he used to take part in cycling races
    himself and he still gets goosebumps when he sees the
    internationally famous cyclists at the head of the race. He
    keeps well out of their way but at the back of the field
    the cyclists enjoy the joke.

    "Once the first twenty cyclists have passed, the last
    remaining groups sometimes grab my fork and poke each
    other," he said. "Then I have to run after them to get my
    Senft has a bizarre collection of odd bicycles in his
    museum in Storkow, all made by himself. He has turned cars,
    baskets and other machinery into bicycles of one kind or
    another.

    Italian cycling star Marco Pantani, who died in Rimini
    in February of this year, has a special place in Senfts
    museum.

    The Tour de France fanatic regulary lights a candle for
    Pantani and says he will be dearly missed when the Tour
    begins rolling once again on July 3.


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