New Ripon athletic center is much more than a gym. What you can expect at the huge facility

Where can you work up a sweat and cool down with a cocktail? Soon, it will be at Ripon’s newest fitness facility, being built off Jack Tone Road.

Michele Petlansky, owner of Ride 209 Fitness and Recovery Studio, had dreams bigger than the 12,500-square-foot studio space in Manteca, so planted roots — and a 25,000-square-foot building — a few miles down the freeway.

Legacy Athletic Center is what she’s calling it, and it’s not going to be your average gym, she said.

“We’re raising the bar with everything,” Petlansky said. “We basically put all the chips on the table — we’re all in.”

The name “Legacy” is inspired by the Petlansky family motto: “Be a light and leave a legacy.”

“The word ‘legacy’ gives us a why to what we do,” Petlansky said in an Instagram post . “Leaving a legacy means making a difference in the lives of people around us.”

The opening of Alpine Climbing Adventure Fitness is what moved Petlansky to get the ball rolling on her own project.

She started getting information from her bank regarding business loans and got a general idea of how much it would cost to open Legacy — a price that has now climbed to $10 million.

Petlansky isn’t necessarily in the business to make money, but to motivate others to grow mentally and physically, develop friendships and build community. If you do things for the right reason, she said, then good will come of it.

Why Ripon?

“It puts us that much closer to Modesto,” Petlansky said. The small town sits in a fairly central location for those who drive from all over the Northern San Joaquin Valley to work out with her team.

The athletic center will feature a boxing studio; spin, yoga and Pilates classes; an open gym with strength and cardio equipment; a childcare center; a sports recovery area and pickleball courts.

The second-floor open gym will be equipped with Panatta machines, a major Italian brand that is adjustable according to personal body type, and even takes into account injuries.

“They pride themselves in being biomechanically correct for the body,” Petlansky said.

She will soft-launch each phase of the athletic center, starting with the first floor — where classes will be held — in August.

Next will come the second floor with the open gym, six to eight weeks after the first phase.

Also on the second floor will eventually be Blondie’s — an indoor/outdoor health food restaurant that also will serve beer, wine and cocktails, though the exact details of what will be served are still in the works. The restaurant will be part of the last phase.

“Unless I win the lottery, that’s not coming for a hot minute,” Petlansky said.

Memberships for the Ride 209 studio are around $225 per month, and Petlansky doesn’t imagine the price will change much at the new facility.

Though it sounds like a large chunk of change, chain gyms don’t offer nearly the same amount or quality of amenities that Legacy will offer, Petlansky said, and not with the same aesthetic.

Petlansky’s favorite part of the new gym is the staircase, which she said will be lit by a chandelier. A Himalayan rock salt wall will adorn the yoga room, offering healing qualities. These are just some of the details visitors will experience throughout Legacy.

Though Ride 209 will close when Legacy opens, Petlansky hopes to bring its loyal customer base with her to Ripon. New members can join now to lock in current prices and no enrollment fee.

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