In part two with Ashley and Jered Gruber we unpack how their journey into cycling photography truly began.

From a chance meeting sparked by a flat tire in Athens, Georgia, to moving to Europe with no real plan, a €1,500 car, and a pocket-sized camera, this episode traces the early years that shaped their visual language.

Jered and Ashley share how racing dreams shifted into storytelling, why landscapes and atmosphere mattered more than finish-line shots, and how shooting differently helped them find space in a crowded world of race photography.

The conversation dives into their first Castelli shoots, the Koppenberg with Andreas Klier, the iconic Passo Giau image with Peter Stetina, and the unexpected chain of events that led them to shoot the Giro d’Italia. Along the way, they reflect on learning by doing, working without moto access, and building trust as a creative duo within the chaos of professional cycling.

This episode explores cycling photography from the inside out — not just how images are made, but why they’re made that way.

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🇮🇹 Nel secondo episodio con Jered e Ashley Gruber torniamo all’inizio di tutto: un incontro casuale, una foratura e una decisione che ha cambiato il loro percorso. Dalle prime foto scattate quasi per necessità ai grandi giri, raccontiamo come hanno costruito una carriera nella fotografia ciclistica seguendo istinto, curiosità e uno sguardo diverso sul ciclismo.

🇩🇪 In der zweiten Episode mit Jered und Ashley Gruber blicken wir zurück auf die Anfänge ihrer Reise. Von einer zufälligen Begegnung und den ersten Fotos bis hin zu den großen Rundfahrten sprechen wir darüber, wie sie sich ihren Platz in der Radsportfotografie erarbeitet haben – mit Geduld, Neugier und einer ganz eigenen Perspektive.

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CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro

03:07 How Ashley and Jered First Met

05:22 From Racing to Photography

08:33 Moving to Europe

09:34 Discovering the Camera

11:23 First Breaks

12:24 Life on the Road

14:01 Meeting Castelli & First Commercial Shoot

16:17 Koppenberg & Giau

20:25 Becoming Photographers

23:46 Creative Duo

27:52 Finding Their Style

31:32 The Photo That Changed Everything

33:13 Giro Opportunity

36:27 First Grand Tour

41:24 Evolving the Vision

45:46 Milano-Sanremo

49:40 Race Day Workflow

52:14 Creative Pressure

55:00 Ending

CONNECT ⁠

Ashley Norris Gruber

https://www.instagram.com/ashleygruber/

Jered Gruber

https://www.instagram.com/jeredgruber/

– HOST –

Søren Jensen, Global Marketing Manager at Castelli, has worked for this iconic brand since 2006. He usually rides backroads and dirt trails, testing new gear in the Italian Dolomites. If you can't find him there, check the Castelli Headquarters in Fonzaso. Connect: ⁠LinkedIn⁠

Check out our new collection: Castelli-cycling.com

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION

If you want your questions to be answered on air, be sure to submit your questions by sending us a message on social media or by email to ⁠⁠podcast@castelli-cycling.com⁠

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many of you have watched their work evolve over the years, shaping how modern cycling is seen and remembered. I’ve been lucky enough to have a front-row seat to that journey.

Today, I’m joined by Ashley and Jered Gruber — a husband-and-wife photography duo and two of the most influential visual storytellers in the world of cycling. From their early years to the biggest races on the calendar, I’ve watched them quietly shape how the sport looks, feels, and is remembered.

This conversation is an honest look into life inside the peloton. We talk about instinct versus technique, creative doubt, missed shots, and the pressure of making split-second decisions when there are no second chances.

Jered and Ashley open up about working together under extreme stress, following the Tour de France for weeks on end, navigating chaos at Flanders and Roubaix, and why even after all these years, they still feel the urge to try something different.

This isn’t just a conversation about photography. It’s about trust, partnership, curiosity, and earning your place — not by being loud, but by consistently doing the work at the highest level.

This is Part 1 of a three-part series. In the episodes to come, we’ll go deeper into how they met, their early years in cycling, full race-day workflows, and what still inspires them today.

Hope you enjoy this one.

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🇮🇹 Breve introduzione

Due dei più importanti narratori visivi del ciclismo moderno si raccontano in una conversazione intima e senza filtri. Ashley e Jered Gruber parlano di istinto, pressione, fiducia e di cosa significa lavorare insieme dentro il caos del gruppo, dalle Classiche al Tour de France.

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🇩🇪 Kurze Zusammenfassung

Ashley und Jered Gruber gehören zu den einflussreichsten visuellen Geschichtenerzählern im Radsport. In dieser Episode sprechen sie über Intuition versus Technik, kreative Zweifel, Entscheidungsdruck im Rennen und darüber, wie es ist, Woche für Woche im Peloton zu arbeiten.

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CHAPTERS

00:00 – Intro

05:34 – First Dolomites memories & meeting Igor Tavella

08:45 – Most crazy expensive place they’ve slept in the Tour

10:36 – Their favorite photo

11:37 – The shot they still regret missing

15:27 – Cycling’s most underrated roads

18:06 – Post-Tour exhaustion & recovery

20:25 – Favorite races to shoot

23:09 – Technique vs instinct

27:46 – Koppenberg vs Paterberg vs Kwaremont

32:24 – Gear, lenses & race-day survival

37:38 – Planning locations with moto pilots

40:44 – Graham Watson & early inspiration

44:32 – Explaining their job outside cycling

46:05 – Why documentary photography still matters

47:07 – Ending

CONNECT ⁠

Ashley Norris Gruber

https://www.instagram.com/ashleygruber/

Jered Gruber

https://www.instagram.com/jeredgruber/

Igor Tavella

https://www.instagram.com/igortavella/

Ustaria Posta Hotel

https://www.instagram.com/ustariaposta/

https://www.ustariaposta.it/

– HOST –

Søren Jensen, Global Marketing Manager at Castelli, has worked for this iconic brand since 2006. He usually rides backroads and dirt trails, testing new gear in the Italian Dolomites. If you can't find him there, check the Castelli Headquarters in Fonzaso. Connect: ⁠LinkedIn⁠

Check out our new collection: Castelli-cycling.com

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION

If you want your questions to be answered on air, be sure to submit your questions by sending us a message on social media or by email to ⁠⁠podcast@castelli-cycling.com⁠

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe Laverick was one of the standout British talents through his junior years and earned a place on one of the top development teams in cycling: Hagens Berman Axeon. He spent two seasons there under the guidance of the world-renowned Axel Merckx.

Joe had hoped to make the jump to the WorldTour, but things didn’t fall into place, and he found himself without a contract at the end of 2022 — facing an uncertain future.

Instead of walking away, Joe built something completely different: a one-man privateer project that blends road racing, time trialling and gravel, fuelled by spreadsheets, sponsors, side clients and a serious obsession with marginal gains.

Joe lifts the curtain on:

• What it actually costs to race as a privateer (race budget, travel, equipment)
• Why you need to be more than “just a bike racer” in 2025
• Balancing being a rider, writer, team owner, sponsor-hunter, soigneur and logistics manager
• How he uses products like the Castelli Gabba R and new gravel kit – and why honest feedback matters
• The learning curve of gravel: tyre pressure, technical skills and why it’s an “untapped jigsaw of performance”
• 200+ days on the road in the US gravel scene, host housing, burnout, and finding balance
• Why enjoyment is the ultimate performance metric, and his advice for young riders choosing between the pro pathway and privateer life
• We wrap up with Joe’s dream Girona loop over Sant Hilari and Montseny – a 6.5-hour, 180–200 km that he still calls one of the best rides in the world.

– LINKS –

Joe Laverick

https://www.instagram.com/joe.laverick/

https://www.strava.com/athletes/7026027

Sant Hilari Ride

https://www.strava.com/activities/10469253051

Castelli SOG

https://www.castelli-cycling.com/spirit-of-gravel

Men’s Unlimited Gravel Collection:

⁠https://www.castelli-cycling.com/IT/en/Men/Collection/Unlimited/c/Man-Col-Unl⁠

Women’s Unlimited Gravel Collection:

⁠https://www.castelli-cycling.com/IT/en/Woman/Collection/Unlimited/c/Wom-Col-Unl⁠

Castelli's Xmas Ride, Nov 29:

Overview | ⁠https://www.strava.com/clubs/66959⁠

Italy | Signup form: https://www.castelli-cycling.com/castelli-unlimited-christmas-ride-2025

CHAPTERS

00:00 – Intro, Castelli Christmas Gravel Ride & Spirit of Gravel Cabal

02:00 – Who is Joe Laverick? Beating Remco & Girona life

04:00 – Quickfire round: fashion crimes, coldest rides & junior chaos in Belgium

09:10 – Contracts dry up: Tour of Alsace, injuries & the decision to go privateer

14:30 – Building “Joe Laverick the brand”: writing, sponsors, and race budget reality

18:30 – Gear geek: equipment choices, spreadsheets, and why the Gabba R blew his mind

22:00 – Influencer vs athlete: social media, honesty and choosing the right partners

27:20 – 200 days on the road: US gravel, burnout and learning to say “no”

32:30 – Gravel as an “untapped jigsaw”: tyre pressure, skills and doing more with less budget

44:40 – Joe’s favourite Girona mega-loop & how not to bonk

47:00 – Advice to young riders: pro vs privateer, happiness and why fun has to come first

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.