The biggest cycling event in the world gets underway on Saturday and like before, this year's race is expected to be drama-filled and exciting as all competitors vowed to give it their all in the grueling 21 stages of Tour de France 2014.

For the second time in the history of the event, the 2014 Tour de France will kick in Great Britain as all participants start their campaign in Leeds and will end in Harrogate.

The second stage on Sunday will start in York and will finish in Sheffield, while the third stage will begin at Cambridge and will end in London before heading to France for the next stages.

Nine stages will be on flat surface, six on mountains, and five on hilly terrains. And for the first time since the 1953 edition of the race, there will only be a one-time trial event.

The decision to have a single time-trial event could be a blow to defending champion Chris Froome. But while he did not guarantee another victory in this year's tour, Froome expressed confidence that they have their strongest team in the upcoming event.

"There is no doubt about it -- I am going to have a lot of tough competition this year. As I have seen in other races, it is not going to be a walk in the park, by any means. But I have got I think a really, really strong team here," Froome said via the Irish Times. "I would arguably say this is probably the strongest team we have fielded for a Tour de France."

Tinkoff-Saxo rider Alberto Contador and Astana rider Vincenzo Nibali are considered by many as the strongest threat to Froome's title defense this year.

Complete Schedule, How to Watch, Maps

Saturday's event will broadcasted live on NBC, while cycling fans can also catch the action online via NBCSN. The complete 2014 Tour de France schedule is available here, while the race map can be seen on this link.