Having been a regular fixture at the roadside during the past two decades of the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, Dieter 'Didi The Devil' Senft looks set to hang up his trident.
Senft's distinctive red costume, bushy beard and decorated trident have appeared in the Tour on numerous occasions, usually during a key mountain stage. But now, the 62-year-old German has decided that enough is enough after recent poor health and lack of sponsorship.
German paper Bild reports that lack of television coverage of the Tour in Germany has led to lack of interest in sponsoring Senft's efforts. His current income is €500 per month, which he says does not cover his costs of travelling to races.
Senft underwent surgery in 2012 to remove a blood clot in his brain, and was forced to miss the Tour that year, but returned in 2013.
Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
