Some of the weirdest bikes the world has ever laid eyes upon have been designed and built by Didi Senft — a 56 year old cycling fan better known as “El Diabo” — whose most recent creation, the Guitar Bicycle measuring 16.4 feet (5 meters) tall and 39.3 feet (12 meters) long was revealed Tuesday in Storkow, some 50 km (31 miles) south of the German capital Berlin.
Photo Xinhua
Photo Xinhua
Photo Xinhua
Didi’s notoriety goes far beyond the German borders, as he’s had no fewer than 10 entries in The Guinness Book of Records, including the world’s largest and longest rideable bicycle — an astonishing 25 feet 7 inches (7.8 meters) long and 12 feet 2 inches (3.7 meters) high.
World’s largest bike, 7.80 x 3.70 meters
With more than 100 unusual and record breaking bicycles, Didi Senft has also built a recumbent double-decker tandem, and a giant rickshaw 42 feet (12.4 meters) long, on which the passenger sits at a dizzying height of 21 feet 10 inches (6.65 meters) above the ground.
Didi made the world’s largest soccerball bicycle out of more than 100 footballs and rode it around to promote the World Cup 2006 in Germany.
Photo Reuters
He’s particularly proud of his latest invention which he will present at various venues during the European Football Championship in 2008, stating that he has designed more than 10 football bikes.
With six balls on each wheel, a football table in front of the steering wheel and a drum on the baggage rack, “El Diablo” is perfectly equipped for the upcoming football event.
Didi Senft with his latest bike creation, waiting to support the teams at the coming European Football Championship.
Didi’s 2-wheel inventions have made him famous throughout the world. His bicycle museum in Storkow includes more than 120 different exhibits, of which hold places in the Guinness-Book of Records. The collection includes the largest tandem bicycle (length: 6m), the longest bicycle (7.80m long, 76 rear wheels and 228 sprockets) and the bike with the smallest front wheel with a diameter of 2 millimeters.
A 10 foot (3 meter) high and 29.5 feet (9 meter) long 3-wheel monster bike
made of 10,000 bike bells. Photo Xinhua
Born in 1952 in Reichenwalde, Germany, Dieter “Didi” Senft has long been a fan of the Tour de France, and is widely known as the Tour de France devil or El Diablo.
Since 1993, he’s been seen in the Tour’s many stages wearing his red devil costume and painting a trifork on the road some miles before he’ll show up. Senft attributes the inspiration for the costume to German cycling announcer Herbert Watterot who called the last lap of local criterium races “the Red Devil’s Lap.”
Stating that he’d never seen a red devil, he decided to become one. He’s been sporting the red devil costume each year since 1993, and follows Tour de France around its entire course, driving in his min-van, towing his huge bike around on a trailer.
“El Diablo” clowns about as the pack passes by during the 8th stage of the 94th Tour de France cycling race between Le Grand Bornand and Tignes, French Alps, Sunday, July 15, 2007. Photo AP Christophe Ena
Didi says he’d prefer to be at the beginning of The Red Devil’s Lap — 1 kilometer from the finish — but race authorities and French police won’t allow him and his bicycle that close because of the crowds, so he usually sets up at the flag which marks 20 kilometers to the finish, and often manages to get as close as 5 kilometers from the end on the mountain stages in the Pyrenees and Alps.
At his tour bus August 2007 in Lorsch beim Entega Grand Prix 2007.
On the 2006 edition of Tour of Switzerland, Didi Senft painted his signature trifork on the road the day before the competitors came by his door. But later that day the Swiss police came by and said it was illegal, and he had to pay a fine or go to jail, and was forced to remove the painting from the road.
Didi Senft at the International Niedersachsen-circuit with his trolley and cycling on 29 trailers April 2007 in Göttingen im Zielbereich der Rundfahrt April 2007 in Göttingen in the target area of the tourDidi Senft at the International Niedersachsen-circuit with his trolley and cycling on 29 trailers April 2007 in Göttingen im Zielbereich der Rundfahrt in the target area of the tour.
He finances his travels by means of a small number of corporate sponsors, and with money from his wife’s job and donations from other Tour de France fans, often sleeping in his car between stages.
LuK GmbH & Co. oHG has supported “El Diablo” since the World Cycling Championship 1991 on his trips around the world. Components from the broad portfolio offered by the German automobile supplier has provided Didi Senft with inspiration on a number of occasions, as seen in a 2-wheel bicycle model made from clutch disks.
Interview with Bicycling.com
When did you first appear as the devil and why?
The 1993 Tour de France. My biggest wish once was to be there as a spectator because I raced bicycles in my youth. But that was in the former German Democratic Republic, when we weren’t allowed to travel to Western countries. In 1990 the Berlin Wall was pulled down; 3 years later I had saved enough money to go to France. I wanted to root for the riders like nobody else did.
How does the devil earn money?
I travel to more than 100 races each season and have a sponsor, LUK, a German auto parts maker. I sleep in my car or in public parks. During the Tour de France I lose 6 to 8 pounds because I eat only crisp bread and canned foods. Many fans also invite me to have breakfast with them. From October until April I don’t earn any money — I build the world’s biggest and smallest bicycles in my garage.
What’s your typical race day like?
It is hard work. I’m on my feet from early morning until late evening. At 4:30 a.m. I get up and paint my forks on the street. I need about eight gallons of paint during the Tour. At 7:30 I find my place along the stage. That is difficult because one of the police officers always watches me. They’re afraid that I’ll hamper the riders when running near them, but that’s nonsense.
Monster Fish Bike of Bike Bells
Sources: Pez Cycling, Bicycling.com , LuK and Wikipedia
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译文:
自行车之世界之最
备受世界瞩目的一些世界上最奇特的自行车已被Didi Senft设计制造出来了。享有“El Diabo”之称的56岁自行车迷—Didi Senft最新的创意作品是一辆吉他自行车,高16.4英尺(5米),长39.3英尺(12米),于星期二在距离德国首都柏林南部大约50千米(31英里)的施托尔科( Storkow)面世.
图片来源:新华网
图片来源:新华网
图片来源:新华网
Didi名扬内外,在《吉尼斯世界记录大全》创造的记录不少于10项,包括世界最大、最长的可骑的自行车—25英尺7英寸(7.8米)长,12英尺2英寸(3.7米)高,令人惊叹.
Didi
世界上最大的自行车, 7.80 x 3.70 米
除了制造出超过100项不同寻常、打破记录的自行车以外, Didi Senft还制造了一辆斜靠式双甲板双人自行车和一辆巨大的人力车,长42英尺(12.4米),乘客会置身于高出地面21英尺10英寸(6.65米)的令人眩晕的座位上.
Didi用100多只足球制造出了世界上最大的足球自行车,并骑车在德国到处行驶来支持2006年世界杯.
图片来源:路透社
他特别引以为傲的是他最新的发明,他将在2008欧洲足球冠军杯期间将其在不同的会场展示,表明他已经设计了10多辆足球自行车.
自行车的每个轮子上都装着6个球,车把前面放上了一个足球场模型台,车篮支架上架上了一只鼓. “El Diablo”全副武装,已为即将到来的足球盛事作好了充分的准备.
Didi Senft和他最新的自行车创意作品,蓄势待发,以支持在即将到来的欧洲足球冠军杯赛场上的参赛队伍.
Didi的2轮创造发明,已使他举世闻名.他的在施托尔科( Storkow)的自行车博物馆里容纳了超过120个不同的展品,它们在《吉尼斯世界记录大全》上留下了大名.这些收藏品包括最大的双人自行车(长6米);最长的自行车(7.8米长,76个后轮和288个链轮)和拥有最小前轮(直径仅为2毫米)的自行车.
由1万个自行车铃做成的高10英尺(3米),长29.5英尺(9米)的3轮巨型自行车.图片来源:新华网
1952年出生于德国Reichenwalde的节食主义者Didi Senft已经是环法自行车赛(the Tour de France)的老车迷了,并以环法自行车赛之魔(the Tour de France devil) 或 El Diablo之名而广为人知.
自1993年起,他频频以红色魔鬼装亮相于环法自行车赛的不同比赛阶段,在离现身之前几米远的公路上喷染一个三叉. Senft把他对自己服装的灵感归因于德国自行车赛节目主持人Herbert Watterot.这个主持人将当地轨范比赛最后一阶段称作是”红色魔鬼阶段”.
他说他从未见过红色魔鬼,但是他决定成为一个红色魔鬼.自1993年起,他就身着引人注目的红色魔鬼装,在一辆拖车上开着他的面包车,拖着他的巨型自行车,全程跟随环法自行车赛.
在94届环法自行车赛的第8个阶段路经法国Alps ,Le Grand Bornand 和 Tignes, “El Diablo”向骑过他身边的车手做滑稽的动作. 2007年7月15日,星期天 照片来源:AP Christophe Ena
Didi说他更想出现在“红色魔鬼阶段”的最前面—离结束还有1千米的距离—但是因为观众太多,大赛官方和法国警方不允许他和他的自行车离比赛现场那么近距离,所以他时不时地举起象征离结束20千米的旗帜,也常常成功地到达距离在Pyrenees and Alps的山路段5千米的地方.
2007年8月,在2007年Lorsch beim Entega大奖赛时,站在他的游览车前.
在2006辑的瑞士联邦之行, Didi Senft在比赛前一天在公路上画上了他的签名:三叉.但是当天晚些时候,瑞士警方来了,声称他那样做是非法的.他不得不为此罚款或是蹲监狱,然后他又被迫清除马路上的图案.
Didi Senft在国际萨克森州巡回赛和他的手推车,2007年4月骑在29部拖车上到达旅途目的地Göttingen im Zielbereich der Rundfahrt.
他通过少数企业赞助商,他妻子的工资和其他环法自行车赛迷的捐助来筹集旅途的经费,途中常常睡在自己的汽车里.
LuK GmbH & Co. oHG自1991年的世界自行车锦标赛起就赞助“El Diablo”环游世界的行程.部分来自德国汽车供应商的国外投资组合在很多场合激励着Didi Senft,这点从一辆由离合器盘做成的两轮自行车模型就可以得到体现.
接受Bicycling.com的访问
你第一次以”魔鬼”身份出现是什么时候?为什么?
1993年的环法自行车赛.我曾经最大的愿望是做一名那里的观众,因为我在年轻的时候参加过自行车比赛.但是那个时候是前德意志民主共和国时期,我们被禁止前往西方国家.1990年”柏林墙”被推倒.3年后,我积蓄了足够的钱到法国去.我想用一些独一无二的方式去给那些车手们加油.
"魔鬼"是如何赚钱的?
每季,我都要前往100多个比赛现场,我有一个赞助商,LUK.这是一家德国的汽车零件生产厂家.我在自己的车里或者公园过夜.因为我只吃脆面包和罐装食品,在环法自行车赛期间体重降了6到8镑.许多车迷们还邀请我与他们共进早餐.从10月到4月我一分钱也没赚到—我在自家车库里制造了世界上最大和最小的自行车.
一个典型的比赛日里对你来说是怎么样的?
这是一个艰难的工作.我要从早走到晚.早晨4点半起床,在街道上画好我的自行车车叉.整个行程我大概需要8加仑的油漆.7点30分,我在比赛段找到自己的位置.因为有个警官一直监视着我,这对我来说比较困难.他们害怕当我靠近车手的时候会妨碍比赛.其实那些都是胡说八道.
由自行车铃做成的巨大鱼形自行车.
资料来源: Pez Cycling, Bicycling.com , LuK and Wikipedia