One of the overwhelming favorites to win the Tour de France femme, Demi Vollering's job in the first six stages was to keep her cool and focus on the SD Works' only goal: to win the yellow jersey.

Vollering's job was made even more difficult given the controversial circumstances surrounding the team, as she was deducted 20 seconds for drafting due to a flat tire and director Danny Stamm was removed from the Tour for dangerous driving, two days before the GC-deciding Tourmalet summit.

On the rain-soaked, fog-shrouded summit of the iconic climb, Vollering won in dominating fashion, taking the yellow jersey by 1:50 over Katarzyna Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM Racing) and 2:28 over Annemiek van Hulten (Movistar), All was forgotten.

"It was a bit hard. Finally the team said let's talk about minutes, not seconds. I tried to make as much time as I could and I'm glad I was able to do that for the team," Vollering told the media gathered at the top of Tourmalet.

"They kept telling me that it didn't matter [the 20-second penalty], that I would gain more than that in Tourmalet. Sometimes I told them, 'I need it too.' ' And sometimes I said, 'I'm not going to do it.'

"I was a little nervous, but I also knew that they were saying it because they believed in me.

Despite Lotte Kopecky's solo victory on the first stage in Clermont-Ferrand and leading the race for six days, the mood in the SD Works camp was somewhat somber. The team was accused from the beginning of using blocking tactics and not taking responsibility for the chase with a yellow.

Then, on stage 4 in Rodez, Vollering finished second and thought he had won. Just after crossing the line and raising his hands in a somewhat hesitant victory salute, he was informed by officials that the breakaway leader, Jara Castellaine (Phoenix-Desseuninck), had already won the race more than a minute earlier. She was eight seconds ahead of rival Van Vleuten, who lost 12 seconds in the next day's drafting.

At the start line in Lannemezan, Vollering lined up wearing an ice vest to keep his body cool in the 35-degree Celsius heat. As the race settled down, the peloton seemed to sense two climbs looming.

"I was a little nervous this morning, but the team kept telling me to stay calm. I did that and it worked out, so I'm very happy," Vollering said.

Van Vleuten attacked first over the Col d'Aspin, but Vollering and Niwiadma were on her wheels and went down together. Niwiadma widened the gap and entered the foot of the Tourmalet alone.

Van Vleuten and Vollaring did not pursue, and after exchanging words, the two were the next selection, including Kopecky and Marlen Reusser, Ashley Moolman-Pasio (AG Insurance-Soudal-Quick Step), and Juliette Labou (Team dsm-Filmenich) caught by the team.

"Niwi Adma made the difference and I told Annemiek, 'I don't need to ride because I have a teammate behind me.' She said, 'Either we ride together or we don't, and then we both lose.' I said, 'Okay, okay, I'll wait for the team. Luckily my teammate came back and Marlen [Reusser] got in front and closed the gap, but the gap widened again," Wohling said. [Lotte [Kopecky] was there and I didn't want to drop her. It was up to the other riders to drop her first."

On the way up Tourmalet, Vollering jumped out of the chase group and quickly widened the gap. With five kilometers to go, she caught up with and passed Niwiadma on the fog-shrouded uphill of Eudocategory.

"At one point, Anna [van der Breggen] said, 'OK, Demi, keep drinking and get ready. Because it was a feeding station and some of the girls had bidets in their hands.

"It was very foggy up there, and I knew that if I made the gap fast enough, they would never see me again. It would also be nice if they stopped looking at me. I was on full throttle and never looked behind me."

"I was surprised when Anna said, 'There are only two of you now, and since you are alone, keep pushing to make the gap as big as possible, because then you will be more consistent. So I did exactly what he said."

Volering won her third race for SD Walks and took the yellow jersey at the Tour de France Fam. She celebrated her success with family and friends who came out to the Tourmalet early to watch her race.

"I was so happy. I knew they were coming and when I saw them on the road I was touched and very happy. They gave me the strength to keep fighting and I'm glad they were all here for me today."