Brett Lancaster joined Team Sky as a Sport Director at the start of 2016 having retired as a rider at the end of last season. Four months on, TeamSky.com caught up with the Australian to see how he's settling into the team and adapting to life off the bike.

At the age of 35 Brett Lancaster knew his cycling days were coming to an end as last season drew to a close. He had a decision to make. Did he try to extend his successful 14-year career for one last campaign or was it time to start looking elsewhere?

Then a conversation with a member of Team Sky convinced the Australian that he was ready to step off the bike and into a team car. He was offered the role of Sport Director here and he readily admits he 'jumped at the chance'.

Four months on he's loving it, while still 'learning something new every day', and when TeamSky.com caught up with him, he was in the process of planning for this month's Tour de Yorkshire, which will be his first race as lead DS.

"My last race as a rider was the GP Ouest-France - Plouay back in August and after that I had a decision to make. Did I keep riding for another year?" remembers Lancaster, who was racing for Orica-GreenEdge at the time.

"My family and I like Europe, we wanted to stay, and then I spoke to one of the staff members here. He suggested the role to me and I jumped at the chance. It's something I've always wanted to do and although in the end I did think that I could have ridden for another year, when this came up I jumped at it."

Sport is sadly littered with professional athletes who have struggled to adapt to everyday life when they finish competing, but when he is asked if he misses riding he's quick to interject.

"No!" he laughs. "14 years as a pro was enough. I went for a ride the other day because the weather was getting better but I don't miss going out on those cold days.

"I still love racing, so I guess I miss that aspect, but now I get the chance to spend more time at home with my wife and three children. Plus, when I'm at home, I can be a real father and not be that precious cyclist with my legs up on the couch, going to bed early!

"I'm enjoying that and I'm running three or four times a week too. I'm still trying to find my rhythm with it but it's so efficient - I can run for half an hour and put in the same work as I would on a two or three-hour ride."

Lancaster joined a team of five Sport Directors here at Team Sky and he's quick to praise Kurt Arvesen, Dario Cioni, Servais Knaven, Nicolas Portal and Gabriel Rasch for how they've welcomed him into the fold.

"All the guys have been very helpful and great to work with. I certainly feel like I'm finding my footing. I love spending time in the car, all the riders have been great to work with, and there's a real good atmosphere too.

"I feel privileged really. This is Team Sky. To work here, especially as such a young guy, is perfect. We're quite a young bunch of Sport Directors so everyone is still full of fresh ideas and happy to work with the coaches and upper management. It's an incredible team to be part of and I'm learning every day."

Lancaster has worked on several races so far, including the Volta a Catalunya and Three Days of De Panne, and when he is asked for a highlight one immediately springs to mind.

"Oh definitely: stage five of Catalunya, when I followed Wout Poels on his breakaway stage win. Nico [Portal] was the lead DS but when you're the second DS you follow the break.

"When planning the stage we had lots of discussions about what should happen if Wout got into that situation, but you can say one thing and, at the end of the day, the athlete still has to go out there and deliver.

"Fortunately Wout is an incredible rider and he's great to work with. I was a little bit vocal towards the end (laughs) but I think he enjoyed that."

What exactly is a Sport Director's role in that scenario? "Every DS might be a little bit different and you've also got to be careful with the character of the rider," explains Brett. "Some don't like to be pushed at all - you've got to know their personality. Luckily I know Wout pretty well. I'd spent a fair bit of time with him in Mallorca at the training camps and one day I followed him for six or seven hours, just me and him out on the road.

"Really it's just a case of supporting the rider - I probably said a few things on that day that I can't say in this interview! - but it's about lifting the rider up, giving them time splits, keeping them informed of what's coming up on the course and whatever else I feel they need to know.

"Off the bike we do a lot of planning and preparation. This morning I've been planning for the Tour de Yorkshire which will be my first race as a lead DS. I've been looking at route profiles and closely at the course. We have software within the team that helps us do that and I'll also be going up there myself a couple of days before the race to check out the stages.

"It's not on the WorldTour but there will be a lot of big teams there - and of course being a home race for us it's important. Lars Petter Nordhaug won the race last year and we'll be going back to retain the title.

"It can be quite time consuming, investing all your time to know every little detail, but these days the riders are a lot more educated than they were ten years ago and they need and want to know more. You've got to be really on the ball and totally clued into what's going on."

Speaking to Lancaster, it's clear that he's both on the ball and clued in. He's settled into the team seamlessly, and he admits to being impressed by the operation.

"It blew me away a bit to be honest," he concedes. "There's a lot of staff on the team and you can see just how well organised everyone is. You come to a race and everyone knows their job and they just get on with it.

"I've been really impressed. We're doing a lot to make sure the riders get the best out of themselves and working with all the coaching staff has been amazing. Seeing and listening to their coaching methods has been pretty impressive.

"In terms of atmosphere and the way the guys get along together too, it's great, and there's a heck of an atmosphere between staff and riders. We know when to be serious but we definitely know the right time to have a laugh.

"We all enjoy our sport - and the moment."