Prudhomme (right) watched the prologue with London mayor Ken Livingstone

Around four million people turned out to watch the British leg of the Tour featuring the prologue and stage one.

"It was a colossal popular success," Prudhomme told The Guardian. "It is not possible for us not to return."

But Prudhomme remained vague on when it might return to London, adding: "I do not know when we will come back."

We're not going to have to push very hard to persuade them to come back London mayor Ken Livingstone

London staged the prologue on Saturday before Sunday's 203km first stage between the capital and Canterbury.

London's mayor, Ken Livingstone, is also fully behind plans to bring the prestigious race back to the capital.

Livingstone accompanied Prudhomme and Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe on the opening prologue, which wound its way around London's landmarks from Whitehall to The Mall.

"They were both amazed at the numbers and they couldn't believe it," said Livingstone.

"We're not going to have to push very hard to persuade them to come back.

"We really want (to). There are cities like Rotterdam bidding for 2010 but it would be nice to come back pretty soon after the 2012 Olympics."

However, competition to stage the Grand Depart is fierce and Prudhomme has already received 10 official requests from non-French cities to host the opening stage.

The Grand Depart is held outside of France only twice in every five years but Prudhomme said: "Other cities were saying they wanted to follow London."