ICONIC ROADSIDE FAN DIDI THE DEVIL ROBBED AT TOUR DE FRANCE START IN BARCELONA

Ham, cheese, a comb and a toothbrush amongst objects purloined by thieves after devil's van window smashed

Image credit: Getty Images)

On és el diable? Where's the Devil? If sharp-eyed Tour de France TV viewers were wondering why Didi 'The Devil', for over three decades one of the race's most famous and longstanding fans, could not be seen on this year's stage 1 in Barcelona, the answer was that he was standing guard over his campervan, which had been broken into and robbed.

Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia reported on Wednesday that Dieter 'Didi' Senft, the German inventor and designer who has become famous for his Tour roadside alter ego of 'The Devil', had been the victim of a robbery in the city, causing him to miss out on stage 1 completely.

Rather than watch the team time trial, Senft, 74, felt it best to keep watch over his damaged campervan – new and perhaps unsurprisingly, given the occupant, painted black – after the co-pilot's side window was smashed, and then report the incident to police. (He later posted "A big thank you to [impromptu translators] Faline and Greg for interpreting at the police station.")

In some reports, the Catalan thieves' ill-gotten gains from El diable were marginal at best, comprising a mobile mini-fridge full of ham and cheese, a toothbrush and a comb and a loudspeaker.

However, as Senft ruefully posted later on, "much more has already been stolen—and it’s only noon. It’s a rough area here in Barcelona."

Even though his famous toasting fork, used to wave at riders, was not amongst the objects stolen, Senft nonetheless had to miss the whole of stage 1. He later explained he had covered up the hole in the window with a "devilishly elegant red cloth."

With the incident firmly in his rear-view mirror, subsequent social media posts showed Senft had returned safe and sound to the Tour for stages 2 and 3 in the Pyrenees, even feeling relaxed enough to chill his feet by soaking them in a conveniently located mountain river.

Curiously enough, the Pyrenees were where Senft first put in an appearance, on the stage won by former Colombian cycling great Oliverio Rincón with a long breakaway to Andorra, back in 1993.

Then as now, Senft appeared on TV next to fans and yelling wildly at the riders as they passed by on another day of scorching heat – though arguably not as warm as his usual, non-summer, residence.

- Alasdair Fotheringham