• HOME
  • FEATURES
  • FOOD & RESTAURANTS
  • DRINK
  • FASHION
  • TRAVEL
  • INTERVIEWS
  • SCENE STEALERS

Ride

Date: 01 Oct 2015
By: Jazz
Comment: 0

Ride North End

Expect a wellness experience at this indoor Cycling studio

The room is dark. The sound of whirring bikes and heavy breathing fills the air. On a raised platform, surrounded by flickering candles, Melina DiPaola grins at her audience from her bike.

By Andrea Keklak — Photographed by Jazz Martin

“Alright!” she calls out, through her headset microphone. “We’re going to start off nice and strong with some jumps!” Across the ceiling, blacklights flicker on, and the quick, clean beat of “Banquet” by Bloc Party begins pulsing from the speakers. “One-two-one-two-one-two! Nice and quick!” Melina shouts. “Tell the body it’s time to work!” There’s no response from the group, except an audible increase in the sound of pedals turning. It’s 5:30, and they’re here to ride.

The words that come to mind when you first meet Melina are something along the lines of “fitness badass.” Short, dark-haired, and incredibly toned, Melina bubbles with the kind of energy that’s at once intimidating – “boy, I wouldn’t want to fight this girl” – and inspiring. It’s this persona that makes her such a dynamic instructor, and has likely contributed to her success in the North End.

Ride North End

Despite appearances, however, Melina’s journey to running a cycling studio was far from smooth. When she was 5 years old, growing up in the North End, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor known as pilocytic astrocytoma. She underwent several surgeries at Boston Children’s Hospital to regain her health. At the same time, her parents incorporated holistic remedies such as acupuncture and drinking fresh-pressed juice into her treatment. To this day, Melina credits much of her recovery to these alternative practices – she still swears by the delicious taste and health benefits of cold-pressed juice.

A few years after her recovery, Melina began going to the gym with her father. She quickly found her passion in cardio and strength training, and started attending fitness classes. As she began college, Melina’s pursuit of indoor cycling, in particular, soon grew into what she describes as a “non-stop love affair.” “I was that girl trekking through a snowstorm to go to a cycling class,” she jokes.

ETC Juicery

While still in school, she founded e.t.c. juicery, a business dedicated to producing fresh, cold-pressed juices. With the savings from her college restaurant jobs, she purchased a hydraulic cold press and opened shop. Melina eventually returned to the North End, and set to work on her dream: a “wellness enthusiast’s haven,” where Bostonians could get in a grueling workout, and recover with fresh, nutritious juices and smoothies. In 2015, she made the gamble and opened her own cycling studio, which she named “ride,” alongside the first brick-and-mortar location of e.t.c. juicery. This move to embark on her own fitness career reflects Melina’s no-holds-barred approach to business and life.“If I had hesitated…it wouldn’t have happened,” she says.

Ride and ETC Juicery

Ride, located at 420 Commercial Street, has an industrial, modern feel. Inside the cycling studio, the walls are wood-panelled, save a large mirror facing the rows of bikes. Overhead, strips of blacklights blaze, illuminating additional fitness equipment along the walls – ropes, free weights. Through the side door you’ll find e.t.c. juicery, a smaller area with a checkered floor and café-like atmosphere. Drink options are written on a chalkboard behind the counter.

The cycling classes themselves, Melina explains, vary depending on who teaches them.

“We all have different styles, choreography and music,” she says, “but the intention is always the same: to give you the opportunity to de-stress and get a good hard sweat session.” Her own style, she says, combines everything she’s “…observed, liked, loved, despised, and picked up over 14 years [and] hundreds of classes.”

Today, on a Thursday evening, Melina certainly has an impressive command of the studio. In the midst of a long climb, she yells out constant encouragement to her panting, sweaty class. “Hit! Hit! Hit! Make it big! Lift those knees! Higher!” When it comes to that mentally tough, middle part of the workout, Melina is unapologetically blunt. “When it’s over,” she adds, you will “…feel accomplished [knowing] that you pushed yourself to your own personal limits and emerge stronger.”

Finally – what’s the best advice she can give to newcomers, looking to enter the world of fitness? The answer is unsurprising: “Don’t hesitate.”

About the Author
Social Share
  • google-share

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

*
*

captcha *

FEATURES

Watermark Seaport
Dec 16, 2015
Elliot's House
Dec 14, 2015
Lofty Expectations
Oct 15, 2015
Tiffany & Co. Watches
Jul 29, 2015
Alex and Ani
Jul 29, 2015
Lovejoy Wharf
Jul 28, 2015
MS Walker
Harvey Allen and M.S. Walker
Jul 27, 2015
Boston Hotel Concierge
Boston Concierges: Part 4
Feb 26, 2015

TRAVEL

Summer in NY
Summer in NYC
Jul 29, 2015
Bricco Suites Boston
Bricco Suites
Jun 29, 2015
Bermuda Vacation
Bermuda Getaway
Feb 27, 2015
Montreal Winter Travel
Winter Wonderland
Dec 04, 2014
Boston Lenox Hotel
The Lenox Hotel
Apr 08, 2014
Foxwoods Resort and Casino
Foxwoods: Larger than Life
Oct 31, 2013
Providence Culinary Tour
Providence: A Culinary Delight
Mar 18, 2013
The Sweet Life
Dolce Vita
Sep 01, 2012

RESTAURANT REVIEWS

Authenticity & Creativity Collide at Sfizi
Dec 16, 2015
Pastoral Restaurant Review
Dec 15, 2015
Mare: Hanover’s Best Kept Secret
Oct 22, 2015
Strip by Strega
Jul 29, 2015
Bastille Kitchen
Bastille Kitchen Restaurant Review
Feb 11, 2015
Legal Crossing
Sep 16, 2014
Sams at Louis
Sam’s at Louis: Dine with a View
Jul 21, 2014
Tavern Road Restaurant Review
Tavern Road
Apr 28, 2014

INTERVIEWS

Men’s Grooming
Oct 19, 2015
Peter Wolf Interview
In Tune with Peter Wolf
Jul 30, 2015
Behind the Scenes
May 12, 2015
Leader of the Brand
Feb 13, 2015
Mohegan Sun Casino Entertainment
Tom Cantone Taking the Stage
Dec 05, 2014
Tradition, Family and Passion
Dec 02, 2014

WINE

Holiday Wine
Dec 10, 2015
Brunello Wines
Oct 20, 2015
Annual Boston Wine Expo
24th Annual Boston Wine Expo
Jan 01, 2015

SCENE STEALERS

Tiffany and Co Boston
Tiffany & Co. New Location
Dec 03, 2014
Grey Goose VX
Grey Goose VX
Dec 01, 2014
Violet Skin Spa
Violet Skin Boutique
Dec 01, 2014
Elevator Pitch Competition
From Suffolk University to QVC
Sep 05, 2014
Bluemercury Boston Chestnut Hill
Bluemercury Chestnut Hill
Aug 20, 2014
Bricco Salumeria & Pasta Shop
Aug 01, 2014
Amber Lu Designer Cases
Amber Lu Design
Aug 01, 2014
Uno Alla Volta
Dec 01, 2013
ABOUT STAFF ADVERTISING CONTACT
© Scene Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Site Designed by Jazz Rules.