If it aint broke, don't fix it.

That seemed to be the view of Mick Bennett, race director of the 2015 Tour of Britain, when asked what lies ahead for a race that shows no sign of dwindling popularity.

Bennett, a veteran of organising cycling races for over three decades, was speaking at the official launch at Wembley Stadium of this year's edition of the race, scheduled to take place from September 6 to 12.

He exuded a calm, yet excited tone, when being asked questions by several of the media in attendance in the swanky Wembley Suite following the announcement of the route of the 2015 tour, a course dominated by steep summits and tricky terrains.

After all, the race is his brainchild and he remained coy on whether they will eventually push to achieve World Tour status, the Mecca of road cycling which includes the most famous race of them all in the Tour de France.

"Sometimes those races can be a bit predictable," Bennett said.

"You've got to have a minimum of eight man teams which makes it difficult for the continental teams and by doing that you immediately eliminate that fanbase.

"We feel we have a good format in place at the moment and we see no reason to change that."

And who could blame him.

Thousands lined the streets for last year's edition - a clear indication of just how many members there are now of the cycling fan club in Britain - and organisers SweetSpot are expecting even more to turn out this time around, and this without confirmation of whether British cycling's most popular character, 2012 Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins, will join the party.

Tour of Britain race director Mike Bennett is happy with the way the event has developed since being resurrected in 2004 and sees no reason to change it ©Tour of Britain



While Sir Bradley's build-up to the season was overshadowed by uncertain contract negotiations with Team Sky before he launched his new team "WIGGINS", there is plenty of optimism around the Tour of Britain.

For a start, the route looks a cracker, although it perhaps sways too much in favour of the North of the country as the final stage through the streets of the capital is the most southerly part of the race, much to the disappointment of cities such as Brighton, a superb host last year. 

But the main issue centres on the county of Yorkshire, which has been omitted once again despite having the honour of staging the Grand Depart for Le Grand Tour in 2014.

The White Rose region boasts some of Britain's most picturesque locations and coastlines and there is no doubt it is conspicuous by its absence.

"It has been a bit tough for the Tour of Britain to get into Yorkshire recently," British Cycling's membership director Jonny Clay said. "We need to overcome that because that's not right. The national tour needs to be going into Yorkshire and we will amend that in the coming years for sure."

Yet these are more slight issues than concrete concerns for the organisational squad behind the scenes as the promise of the delivery of what looks to be a fascinating route far supercedes any problems at this point.

London's headline stage has undergone dramatic surgery in order to recapture the essence and the spirit of 2014 - a race where the Yellow Jersey changed six times over seven days - as it will now see riders fly past traditional British landmarks such as Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus.

The organisers at Wembley certainly did enough to whet the appetite for the competition in September. A first start in Wales, a maiden visit to Edinburgh and a penultimate stage which was described by Bennett as "brutal" are just three examples of what Britain's cycling-mad population have to look forward to.

The final stage of this year's Tour of Britain promises to be one of the best with a picturesque route through Britain's historic capital ©Tour of Britain



Add to that a plethora of difficult surfaces, summit finishes and unpredictable conditions and you have a recipe for an event many of us will surely be glued to come the latter part of this year.

In 2014, three hours coverage a day was screened to many millions across the world, neatly backed up by a one-hour highlights programme in the evening, which many may deem as remarkable considering the status the event currently holds within the global map of cycling.

But even that is getting better, as Clay revealed. 

"We're looking to get the race as one of the premier races in the world," he said. "We can't predict what the male elite peloton will look like in a year so we have to be open minded and remain focus on the Tour of Britain being the biggest stage race in this country, which it is without doubt.

"At the UCI (International Cycling Union) level the race is highly regarded particularly in 2012, 2013 and 2014 as it is now considered a really high-class event."

The more frequent television coverage is hardly surprising as over the last decade or so, cycling has been the beneficiary of a meteoric rise into the hearts of the British public. Ask most people if they have a bike and the answer will be yes, ask many if they have heard of the likes of Laura Trott and Chris Froome and you are likely to hear the same reply.

The likes of Tour de France winner Chris Froome have enjoyed a rise to stardom synonymous with cycling's growth in Britain ©Getty Images



In fact, the launch of the 2014 tour being held at arguably the nation's most iconic sporting arena speaks volumes of the development of an event which underwent a major overhaul back in 2004.

The current format was devised by SweetSpot and British Cycling 11 years ago after a five-year hiatus, and it is fair to say they have never looked back since.

It's not just the men's race that is booming though as the introduction of the women's tour last year brought about an unprecedented reaction that few would have thought possible, with Bennett, who has been in this game for longer than I have been alive, admitting it "blew him away".

The inaugural women's event was won by the imperious world and Olympic champion Marianne Vos, and even that goes to show the pedigree of the race, proving at an early stage that it has the potential to attract the world's most stellar names.

Another positive on a seemingly never-ending list is the timing of the upcoming men's edition as it takes place two weeks before the World Road Racing Championships, leaving the organisers rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of having some of the top riders on the planet descend on the likes of Clitheroe and Ipswich.

Imperious Dutchwoman Marianne Vos won last year's inaugural women's Tour of Britain which race director Mike Bennett said "blew him away" ©Getty Images



This like so many aspects of the planning has been meticulously chosen. Every last detail has been thought of and it's no wonder the 2014 race enjoyed the success it did.

At a time where the UCI are considering unprecedented changes to road cycling as a whole, it is refreshing to see such forward-thinking from a country that usually stagnates in terms of sport - just ask the England cricket team.

It was also refreshing to attend a cycling event where the words doping, CIRC and Lance Armstrong didn't, for once, take centre stage.

There will be those who suggest that SweetSpot and British Cycling lack ambition for not aiming higher, although there are already murmurs within the sport's inner circles in Britain of potential bids for the World Championships and possibly another Grand Depart for cycling's showpiece event.

While the two clearly cannot be compared, the Tour of Britain is continuing to make waves within the sea of cycling; not just in Britain but across the world.

No wonder the organisers don't want to change things just yet.