"The key is paying attention to detail and filtering back only what is important. You don't want to overload riders; there is only so much they can take in.
"I rode a fair bit of the course over the years so hopefully that adds value, especially the technical stuff on the sprints.
"Any athlete who retires from the sport would be lying if they said retirement was easy or what they expected. It's been difficult at times but fortunately I still have a reasonable rapport with the riders.
"I tend to mediate between them and the directors."
Dean knows a bit about working in the background.
Regardless of the trouble saturating professional cycling after the admission of cheating by Dean's former US Postal teammate Lance Armstrong, the 38-year-old from Waihi enjoyed an extraordinary career amid minimal fanfare.
He is without peer as a Kiwi road cyclist, despite never receiving a Halberg Award nomination. He made the Tour de France podium three times in 2010 after crashing on stage two, being headbutted on stage 11 and getting tackled by a member of the gendarmerie before stage 16.
Dean was shot by an air rifle in 2009 on stage 13 on his way to being the only rider to complete all three grand tours (Italy and Spain as well), pedalling more than 10,000km in less than 70 days.
He finally secured a Tour de France stage win in 2011, in the team time trial. Standing on the Champs-Elysees podium after winning the teams' classification was, he said upon retiring, his most memorable cycling moment.
Dean says this season's achievements of Orica GreenEDGE in such a short space of Tour de France time - two seasons - are immense. Simon Gerrans and Daryl Impey took the yellow jersey for two stages each and the team won the stage four team time trial.
"That reflects a lot on the depth," Dean says. "Every team wants that title. It's something to be proud of. We shared the jersey around afterwards and it built camaraderie."
He says the revelations Armstrong cheated on his seven tour victories has not stopped audiences turning out in droves to witness the race's 100th edition.
"The Tour de France will live on. It's bigger, brighter and better. It'll be remembered as a good year once all that stuff is behind us."
Dean still rides but a lack of compulsory lycra has added a new dimension to his life. This winter was the first time he'd flown to Europe without a bike.
He blogged that he was filled with "a flutter of contentment knowing I wouldn't have to battle the elements of the late European winter and spring".
"I now have more... time to spend with my family [wife Carole and sons Tanner and Val]. Days doing five hours on the road before Sunday lunch are over."
