What’s the deal with Tour de France spectators wearing devil costumes?
Haj
There was a mad Dutchman, with a huge beard, who turned up for years, probably still does, who dressed up in a well over the top devil outfit and a trailer dressed up too.
All this was towed on a trailer behind his bicycle.
He seemed to be very good at placing himself at points on the course where the cameras would linger and so got a lot of publicity, everyone wanted to know who he was and what he was doing.
He became a very familiar sight on the Tour, pretty much part of the fixtures and fittings, as it were.
I’d guess that its become a Tour cult thing unless other posters know better.
Actually, he is German. Here is a quote and a link to the website which has detailed info on him:
The devil made me do it … He’s as familiar a face on the Tour de France as Marco Pantani’s or Jan Ullrich’s. He certainly gets more airtime than most domestiques toiling away in the meat of the peloton. And the funny thing is, he doesn’t even ride his bike. He’s Didi Senft, the crazed fan spotted every day cheering on the peloton dressed head to toe in a devil’s suit.
The 46-year-old German is now a fixture of the Tour, traveling the entire length of the three-week race. Dressed all in red, complete with horns, trident and cape, Senft said he got the idea after watching criteriums. “They always called the final kilometre of a criterium the red devil’s lap. I never saw a red devil, so I became one,” Senft said.
Senft has become a fan’s favourite. He always arrives early to the stage - about 20-30 kms from the finish on the flat stages and in the final 5-10 kms in a mountain stage - and sets up with his trademark 19th-century bike. He says fans stop to snap photos of him, ask for his autograph and even give him money.
Some riders, however, aren’t too fond of the rowdy red devil, especially on the steep final bits when he can become an unnecessary distraction. Riders often push him out of the way as he runs up behind them and screams and yells like, well, a man possessed. He’s not linked, as many people think, to former great Claudio Chiapucci, nicknamed “Il Diablo.”
http://www.uci.ch/english/tdf/tdf_98_13.htm
Pictures:A picture from the 2000 Tour de France []Verona World Championships 1999 [ ]The Devil running with Maglia Rosa wearer (and eventual winner) Gilberto Simoni, 2001 Giro d’Italia [/ul][/li]
galt
July 31, 2001, 10:43am
5
This is a great picture too. Really makes him look like a crazy man. He can jump pretty damn high…
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/p/nm/20010727/sp/mdf29520.html