Didi “The Devil” Senft, the Tour de France’s most recognisable roadside fixture and fan favourite for more than three decades, missed the opening stage of the 2026 Tour after thieves broke into his campervan in Barcelona.
According to Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia, the 74-year-old German inventor discovered his vehicle’s window smashed on the morning of the Stage 1 team time trial, held in the Catalan capital on Saturday. Rather than watch the racing, Senft stayed behind to guard the damaged van and file a police report, missing an entire Tour stage for the first time in his long history as a fan.
The haul was modest: a mini-fridge stocked with ham and cheese, a comb, a toothbrush and a small loudspeaker. Fortunately, his trademark devil’s fork, which he has used to salute passing riders since 1993, was left untouched. Senft later joked on social media that the area had proven rougher than expected: “And it’s only noon.”
He patched the broken window with what he described as a “devilishly elegant red cloth” and, with the help of bystanders acting as translators at the police station, resumed his usual roadside devil routine within days. By Stage 3 in the Pyrenees, Senft appeared relaxed again, cooling his feet in a mountain stream beside the route.
The incident drew widespread sympathy from fans, given Senft’s status as an unofficial Tour institution since his debut in 1993, coincidentally also in the Pyrenees.
Photo Credit: Eurosport
© 2026 Copyright Gran Fondo Daily News – All Rights Reserved