Former Australian rider Brett Lancaster relishing Team Sky role

Brett Lancaster has adjusted to his new career as a sports director at Team Sky, less than a year after retiring from professional competition with rival stable Orica-GreenEdge.

Brett Lancaster rode for Orica-GreenEdge in 2015 (Sirotti) Source: Sirotti

The 36-year-old will not be at the Tour de France with Sky but has instead returned to Australia for the first time in almost three years for brief respite with family.

“It’s my first year [as a sports director] so still a learning curve and I actually wouldn’t really want to do it [the Tour de France] in my first year,” he said.

Lancaster retired from a 13-year professional road cycling career at the end of last season and was confirmed as a sports director at British power-house Sky in December.

He was lead director for the first time at the April Tour de Yorkshire and went onto to manage the team that fronted for the May Tour of California and the Tour de Suisse this month.

The immediacy of the switch in sides, from rider to management, and change of team culture has presented its own challenges, which the Victorian, who hasn’t endured an Australian winter in some 20 years, has enjoyed.

“It’s kind of a weird thing,” Lancaster said of the switch. “You feel like you’re in there still, in the whole cycling circus, in some weird way but you’re not.

“The start was quite challenging actually, especially with Sky and the amount of staff [they have], a lot of things going on with the way they store their data and just knowing how everything works within the team,” he added.

“After three or four months I really started to become a bit more natural and now I feel a lot more relaxed in myself and quite comfortable with the role.”

Interesting weather on Greenhow @bdlancaster needs a few more layers. @TeamSky @letouryorkshire pic.twitter.com/GDf0FiPzNA — VeloViewer (@VeloViewer) April 26, 2016

Lancaster will return to work at the Tour of Poland next month.

“I’m very grateful to have the job and happy with all the staff and my bosses above me,” he said. “They’ve been very good to me and kind.

“I actually do [enjoy] working with the Poms. They’re positive in meetings and talk about problem solving, no negativity, so on that side of things it’s a big eye opener the way the team work.

"Everything can be solved. It’s an incredible organisation. And I’ve learnt a hell of a lot, more and more every day.”